Mafia XIII
by SoulSoprano
Summary: Roxas is rescued by a Mafia member after being attacked in an alleyway. He recovers, but now that Roxas knows about the Organization, he has the choice of trying to join, or death. Pretty obvious choice, right? But does he have the skills to pass the test? An AkuRoku story. Might get some Zemyx action, too, eventually. Please review? Rated M, mostly for graphic violence.
1. Chapter 1 - Mugging

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS. As much as I wish I did. Nor do I own any Final Fantasy characters. However, I am allowed to play with their emotions and hormones. Yay me!**

**WARNING: For those of you with light stomachs, this story might not be for you. This is my first story of this type, and apparently, I cant keep the gore out of it. If you really want, you can read it, then stop, but if you're anything like me, then that's impossible. I am a few chapters ahead in writing, so I can warn you, it's not pretty. I tried rewriting about 4 or 5 times, but I cant keep it clean. (You can take this to mean either the gore, or Axel's mind. Both options work.)**

**Also, here are some guidelines on what means what with me:**

This means normal story.

_If it's one or two words, this means emphasis._

_This means memory._

If it's one or two words, this means emphasis. (But only when it's surrounded by _memory_ \- see above.)

_'This means someone's talking through a headset or comm unit.'_

_"THIS MEANS YELLING. AND TO BE HONEST, IT'S REALLY ANNOYING, SO I DON'T USUALLY DO IT."_

_(A/N) _This means I'm interrupting you from reading and being an ass. I have yet to do this, but who knows.

I don't usually bold things, so there should be no use listing what that means. Even I don't know - could mean EXTREME emphasis, but who knows?

"And everyone should really know that this means talking, but i'm listing this just to be safe. And because i like to rattle on and not shut up. Usually only in person, but I'm in a talkative mood at the moment, and it's affecting my updating."

**Anyway, I've held you up for too long. Go ahead and enjoy. And don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

The ornate giant keys knocked against my leg as I walked down the street, away from Destiny High. Cheesy name for a school, I know, but it was still a good place. My latest project testified to the fact.

My tech teacher had obviously taken to me, because I know for a fact that he would _never_ let another student near the metalworking equipment for a personal project, ever.

"Thanks, Prof. I owe you one." I looked down at the two keys – each 3 feet in length, they were fashioned after old skeleton keys. I had held onto their designs for ages, only deciding I had the skills to attempt making them now. And after a week of late nights of staying after school in the shops , I was finally finished.

At one of my friends' insistence I had named them – Oathkeeper, the white Keyblade, as I called them, had a delicate-looking design, but was surprisingly sturdy. To be honest, it looked more decorative than anything, but the edges of the key were sharpened to a point, distinguishing it as a weapon. Oblivion, the other Keyblade, was designed to look a little more menacing, while still possessing an ethereal beauty. It was a deep black, seeming to suck all the light into it. There was a decorative silver chain welded down the shaft of the Keyblade for decoration.

'_I want to see them as soon as they're done. Care to stop by with them?_'

I recalled Zexion's words, spoken earlier that day, when I had mentioned how close to finishing the Keyblades I was. Smiling, I took a turn at the next street, heading to Zexion's apartment. The 19 year-old lived in an apartment on his own, ever since his parents had abandoned him back in 9th grade. Forced to fend for himself, with no income, Zexion had dropped out of school for a full-time job for two years. He started attending school back in my grade 9 year, and had helped me with a major science project, sparking our friendship. Really, we were all the other had – no one wanted to be friends with the smart emo kid who had missed three years of schooling, and I was a shy boy who wasn't fond of crowds of any sort.

"Roxas! How are you?" Aerith's sweet voice carried over from across the street, where she was standing in front of her flower shop, watering her goods.

"Good, Miss Gainsborough. What about you? Busy day?" I looked down the street before crossing, then went up to the young woman.

The woman chuckled as she pulled me into a hug. "How many times must I tell you to call me Aerith? And I've been quite good – a slow day, no stress. Anyway, I see you've stayed late again. Have you finished this project of yours?"

I backed up from the hug, then unhooked the Keyblades from my belt, holding them out. "All finished, Miss."

I smiled at the look of awe on her face. "Roxas, the craftsmanship... it's amazing! The details are beautiful. You really poured your heart and soul into these, didn't you?

I ducked my head, cheeks heating up. I had never taken compliments well, and apparently, I wasn't about to change now.

"Aw, you're such a sweetie, all embarrassed... Anyways, you should get going before it gets too dark. You've still got a ways to go."

I shook my head, hooking the keys onto my belt again. "Actually, I'm headed over to Zexion's."

Aerith smiled. "Well, all the more reason to get going. Don't want to make him wait any longer to see those keys of yours."

Smiling, I turned to leave, waving. "Thanks. Goodbye, Aerith. It was nice seeing you."

"Anytime, Roxas. You'll always be welcome at my shop. And say hi to your brother for me when you see him next!"

I nodded at her, smiling, then made my way down the street.

I was only a few blocks from Zexion's when I was grabbed. The man – much taller than me, and quite strong – grabbed me by my hair and threw me into the alleyway he had been hiding in. I cried out as I hit the ground, landing on top of the Keyblades. _Why did I have to make them so spiky?_

Before I could fully comprehend what was going on, the man was kicking me incessantly in the side. I curled up into a fetal position, but that failed to help, so I decided I had to fight back. I mean, I knew I was smaller than average, but I could still pack a punch.

Just as the man's foot connected with my stomach, I curled around the limb, holding tight. Then, rolling away, I pulled him off balance. In the meantime, I unhooked the Keyblades and tossed them a few feet away, so I wasn't lying on them anymore.

Of course, my quick thinking wasn't as smart as I originally thought, as I found out when the man landed on top of me. However, luck was on my side, and I was able to reach his groin and give it a good squeeze, causing the guy to cry out in pain. I pushed him off me and scrambled to my feet, grabbing Oblivion. By the time I was on my feet, blade in hand, the man was also up, and diving for me with a knife. Letting instincts take over, I leapt to the side and brought the back of Oblivion down across his neck, knocking him to the ground. As I backed away, he managed to get back to his feet, spitting a glob of blood onto the pavement. "You little _brat_!" He exclaimed, and ran at me again, slashing with his knife. I managed to jump out of the way, but he kept coming, fury dancing in his eyes. I barely managed to stay ahead of the blade, until my back slammed into the wall, and the man scored a deep hit, right into my shoulder. I cried out from the pain, dropping Oblivion and clutching my injured shoulder. Looking up, I barely had the chance to register the man's wicked grin before the blade slammed into me again, this time slicing across my chest, causing my eyes to momentarily black out from the pain, as I slid down the wall to collapse to my knees. I cried out again as the man's knife came for me again, but the blow never came. I opened my eyes to see the man being thrown against the opposite wall of the alley by another person, this guy in a long leather coat with the hood up. The newcomer, while holding the mugger against the wall, brought his fist back and punched the man with enough force to knock him unconscious.

As the mugger slumped to the ground, the man in the coat turned to me, and kneeled in from of me, putting his hand to my wounded shoulder. I whimpered from the contact, but I had lost too much blood to be embarrassed, and I could feel myself passing out.

"Who are you?" My voice was low, almost a whisper, but the man heard me. He pulled his hood off to reveal a spiky mess of red hair, and a pair of emerald eyes, a small upside-down tear tattoo under each.

The last thing I remember before passing out were his words.

"The name's Axel, kid. Got it memorized?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Kidnapped?

**HAHAHA I'm BACK~~~ and the insanity begins again...**

**DISCLAIMER: Although I am in a sea of tears at the fact, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. NONE. NONE OF THEM ARE MINE! *Goes off and cries in a corner***

**anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

I opened my eyes to a very simplistic-looking room. A bed, chair, and dresser were the only furniture, and a single window decorated the wall to the right of the bed, its curtains drawn closed. I started to get up, to check where exactly I was, but the moment I got into a sitting position, I started feeling dizzy.

Bracing myself against the wall, I noticed I was missing my shirt. Shaking my head, I slowly made my way to the door, but it was locked from the outside. I tried the window next, but it was locked too. And the only view I had was a dark alley like the one I had been attacked in. I could see the sky was dark, so I knew it was night-time, and judging by the moon's position, it was around midnight. But other than that, I had no clue where I was. I placed my palm against the cool glass, wondering if anyone had noticed me gone. Zexion probably thought I had messed up and had a setback on the Keyblades, while Sora would assume I had decided to spend the night at Zexion's without telling him again.

Crap. And no one else would even notice my absence until Monday morning at school. I bowed my head at my own stupidity. Why didn't I have a huge circle of friends that kept tabs on me constantly, like other teens my age? Dammit.

"Hey, kid, what're you doing out of bed? You should be resting!"

I turned to see the redhead that had saved me in the alley. "Where am I?"

The man – Axel, I remember him introducing himself as – tsked. "I'm not gonna repeat myself: Get back in bed before you pass out again – you lost too much blood earlier."

Grudgingly, I obeyed, but only because I could recognise the truth in his words. I _did_ feel a bit light-headed, and my shoulder and chest were throbbing like mad where the man had cut me.

As I sat down on the edge of the bed, I opened my mouth to speak again, only to be interrupted by a strong hand pushing me down onto my back. "I might have sealed your wounds, but that doesn't mean they won't still hurt – and don't tell me you don't feel it, I can see it in your face. So shut up and take the painkillers, alright?" He handed me a couple of pills, along with a cup of water.

"So, you save me from being murdered in an alley, and you think that gives you the right to boss me around?" But I downed the pills gratefully, regardless. Anything to dull the pain.

"I think it gives me enough right," Axel said with a mocking grin. He pulled the chair up to the side of the bed and straddled it, arms resting on the back. "So, any questions?"

I glared at him. "Yeah. _Where am I,_ and_ who are you?_"

The man ran his fingers through his gravity-defying hair, the front slicked back to join with the array of spikes at the back. "Oh. I guess you already passed out when I told you. My name's –"

"– Axel, I know. I didn't ask for your name, I asked you _who you were_. And why did I wake up _without a shirt, locked in some room? Where am i?_"

Axel held his hands up, as if to surrender to my barrage of questions. "Okay, okay! I get it! I'll try to answer what I can, but some of those answers are gonna get mighty complicated, and I don't want you all worked up when you're still recovering." He sighed. "Okay, starting with the most simple, you don't have a shirt at the moment because it's in the wash, and plus, I had to remove it so I could tend to your wounds."

"Wait a second, why not just take me to the hospital like any _normal_ person would do?" My words were accusing, and rightfully so. If he wasn't a certified doctor, I didn't want him doing the stitches I know the wound had needed.

He shook his head. "You were bleeding too much to wait. I had to sear the wound as soon as you lost consciousness."

I blinked, his words registering in my mind. "Sear!?" I grabbed at the bandage on my shoulder and peeked underneath, revealing skin red and puckered from a burn – however, there was no bleeding in the slightest. I grimaced at the sight. Putting the bandage back in place, I looked back at Axel. "What'd you use to sear it closed?" I was curious. From what I could see, he hadn't used any conventional means.

Axel was back to ruffling the back of his hair again. "Um... you're getting to the complicated part now..."

"How is that _complicated_?!"

"Trust me."

Grumbling, I covered my eyes with the back of my hand. "Fine. And since you _still_ haven't answered me, after countless times of asking, I take it where I am is confidential, too?"

"Eh... heheh.."

I groaned. Leave it to me to be saved by a guy with more secrets than a mob boss... _wait_. "You're not in a gang, or anything, are you? Is that why you won't tell me anything important? 'Cuz I'm in your headquarters, or something?"

I saw a flash of something in his eyes – surprise, maybe a bit of fear, but why? Unless...

I groaned again, this time slamming my head against the pillow for good measure. "Aw, come on, really? Are you serious?"

Axel looked away, confirming it for me. "What gang?" I knew of a few, and I wanted to know what I was dealing with.

"It's not a gang." Axel didn't turn his face when he spoke, and I could hear the hesitation in his voice. I stayed silent. "I'm with the Organization."

"The Organization?" I hadn't heard of it. Not really that surprising, since I only knew of three gangs, tops.

He looked back at me, hesitantly. "Organization XIII. We're a mafia."


	3. Chapter 3 - Xemnas

**HAY-LOOO! I'm Back~!**

**and late... again... Blame easter weekend - no school, no library, and i have no computer access at home. And i used to LOVE 4 day weekends...**

**anyway... hahaha.. read on, peeps! and ENJOY!**

* * *

I snorted in surprise. "A mafia? Hollow Bastion has a _mafia_?" I was slightly dumbstruck. I knew the city had countless gangs, but I never would have guessed that we had something as serious as a mafia.

Axel just looked at me. "You're taking this rather well, considering your situation."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm either gonna have to join you or die, right? You can't exactly let me go now that I know about you guys; I've read enough books to know that. Relax. The freak-out will come later."

There was a second of complete silence before Axel burst out laughing, to which I just looked at him, overwhelmed. Within a minute, he had calmed down, and he spoke. "Kid, if I hadn't wanted you to join, you'd already be dead. In an alley. I wouldn't have saved your sorry butt in the first place if I hadn't noticed your potential."

I gulped. So I was right. Join or die. Those were my options. "What do you mean, potential."

He grinned at me. "I saw your key-things –"

"Keyblades."

"– Keyblades in action. You have an innate ability, despite getting your butt kicked earlier. Speaking of which…" He reached down under the bed, and pulled out my Keyblades. "I grabbed them for you. Figured you'd want them."

Pushing myself into a sitting position, I grabbed the Keyblades, placing them on my lap. "Thanks. I worked hard on these, and I'd hate to see them get lost so soon."

Axel gawked at me, then at the Keyblades. "Wait, you _made_ those?!" I nodded, earning an appreciative whistle from the man.

"Cool. The detail's amazing. How long'd it take you?"

"A little less than a week."

"I can se why. Wow, you put your soul into these, didn't you? Never would have thought they'd be considered weapons, though." He grinned, and I mirrored the gesture.

"I designed them to look deceiving. They might not look that strong, but they're pretty tough."

"You know what, kid –"

"Would you stop calling me 'kid'? It's starting to get on my nerves." I glowered at him. And now that I had my Keyblades back, I felt a little safer, even though I probably wouldn't stand a minute against Axel in a fight, if he was in a mafia.

The man grinned. "I would, if you'd just tell me your name." _Oops_. Going back on our conversation, I realized I hadn't actually introduced myself yet. "Um… sorry. I'm Roxas."

Axel's grin didn't waver in the slightest. "So, as I was saying, you know what, kid –" I glared, but he merely laughed and continued on, undeterred. "You might actually fit in here."

I was taken aback. Me? A scholarship student, with only his brother and one friend, in a mafia? And fitting in, too?

I blinked as Axel tossed something fabric at me, covering my face, and I pulled it off, to notice it was my shirt.

"Come on. I want you to meet someone." Axel stood up and walked towards the door with no signs of waiting for me, so I hopped of the bed and followed him down the hall, pulling my shirt on as I did so.

* * *

"You told him about us without clearing it with me first? _And_ you took him in? You're lucky you're still useful to me, VIII or I'd have blown your head off by now, and given the boy to IV." Axel flinched before the man speaking, giving me the impression that the threat was not an idle one.

The man, Xemnas, as Axel had told him, was tall and powerfully built, with browned skinn and white-blonde hair. In addition to his intimidating presence, he simply oozed power, causing chills to ripple down my spine.

Turning to me, Xemnas spoke again, his deep voice making me tremble slightly. "What do you know, boy?"

I gulped before speaking. "That you're called Organization XIII, and…" I glanced at Axel, who was looking at me fearfully. I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to know, and I hoped that hiding the fact that I knew their leader's name would help me some. "And his name. Axel," I said, nodding towards the redhead. "I don't even know where I am, except for the fact that it's your headquarters."

Xemnas turned back to Axel, and I found I could breathe easy now that the man's attention was no longer on me. Why Axel had wanted me to see Xemnas, I had no idea, unless he wanted to scare me into joining – if the "Superior", as they called him, let me live, that is.

"It seems as if you're not completely stupid. However, he won't be allowed to leave. He already knows too much."

Axel nodded. "Uh… Superior, if I may make a suggestion?"

Xemnas only grunted in response, heading over to the mahogany desk situated in the center of the cavernous room.

"Um... What if… what if the boy was to join? He has the potential, I saw him fight."

This caught Xemnas' attention, attention which swiftly switched to me. "Let me be the judge of that, Number VIII." Without moving his golden eyes from mine, he reached down to press the button on a comm. "Number XII, get to the training room. Now. You have an opponent."

Axel's eyes went wide, and he stepped forward. "Sir! Roxas – he's still injured, he can't fight right now!"

"You'll do your best to lower your voice when speaking to me, VIII." The coldness in his tone gave me chills, and I was glad it wasn't me he was pissed at. He pressed the comm again, this time on a different line. "IV, I need a painkiller. We've got a new body, and he needs testing, but he's injured."

"Sir. What are his injuries?"

Xemnas looked at me, but Axel answered before I could get my mouth open. "Deep stab wound to the left shoulder, and a gash across his chest." I glared at him, trying to silently tell him I could speak for myself, but he ignored me.

Xemnas relayed the information into the comm, and within five minutes, a thin man with ashy-blonde long hair and muted green eyes walked in, carrying two small blue pills and a bottle of water.

The man stopped when he saw me standing next to Axel, his lip curling in disgust. "Superior, _this_ is the new body? He's dead weight, puny! How can he even be worth the consideration?"

"Silence." Xemnas didn't even look up from the papers on his desk. "Just give him the medication, then escort him and Number VIII to the training room."

The newcomer blanched, his face turning a pasty white colour that looked horrible next to his white lab coat. He then stepped towards me. "Hand out, brat." I glared at the name, but obeyed nonetheless and he dropped the pills into my hand, and gave me the bottle of water, of which I unscrewed the cap and used to down the pills. Within seconds, the pain began to subside, amazing me. What _were_ those pills? I would have to find out – I'd never heard of such a fast-acting medication.

But that would have to wait. Without a word, the man in the lab coat, Number IV, turned and began walking down the hall, and Axel and I had to jog to catch up.

We walked for a minute before Axel grabbed my arm, slowing me slightly, before bending over to speak in my ear. "Roxas, there's something else you should know about us."

I looked at him inquisitively, and he continued. "You wanted to know how I seared your wounds closed? I used magic." Before I could pull away or laugh, he held up his free hand and snapped his fingers, and I noticed a spark, then a small flame slowly creeping across his fingers.

He looked me in the eye. "My magic is fire. And Larxene? The one you'll be fighting? Hers is lightning."

The colour drained out of my face. Oh God, what had I gotten myself into?

* * *

**NYA-HA-HA**

**magic, magic, magic... gotta love it! and as much as i tried, i cant seem to keep it out of the story...**

**but really, who wants to? Magic makes things so much more _interesting!_**

**and also, the end is in sight... but not for you. i'm a good 10 or so chapters ahead, and although i'm nowhere near, i have figured out the plot line and ending. took me the whole weekend of constant writing, but its all figured out.. and you'll _love_ it!**

**However, in order for you to get it, i need to keep typing and catch up with whats written on paper (yes, people still do that.), so ta-ta!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Lightning

**Hiii... i'm back, and honestly, i don't have much to say, so... enjoy the chapter, and please don't beat me for what Larxene does. It's all her fault. Not mine.**

* * *

"Here we are, brat. Do your best to get killed, okay?" The older man sneered at me, the turned and left.

I looked at Axel. "Any tips?" He shook his head. "Just watch out for her daggers. They're her conductors." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'll be up in the viewing platform, okay? Superior's sure to make everyone watch from up there, so don't mess up, and don't get killed. Trust your instincts."

With those words, along with a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder – the uninjured one – he turned and followed after Number IV.

I turned to face the large double doors. What would be inside? I didn't even know how big the room would be – while the room I had woken up in was above ground, everything else was in an underground compound, as I found out when Axel opened a trap door in the basement floor and jumped down. And going by the side of the superior's room… this "training room" of theirs could very well be the size of a gym.

Hands shaking from nerves, I reached out, pushing the doors open and revealing a room that made my jaw drop. _'This shouldn't be possible… How can a room this big be a secret, even hidden underground?_

The room was enormous, about the size of a football field, the floor and walls made out of stone. Off to the right and what seemed to be 3 stories higher than the ground was a mezzanine, enclosed by thick layer of glass. I could see the Superior in there, watching me, and Axel standing next to him, hand on the glass. There were more people standing around in there too, though not all of them seemed to be watching.

"_This_ is the brat you want me to fight?! He's so… He's a freaking _kid_! He won't even last a second! C'mon, Superior, give me someone actually worth fighting!" The woman's voice brought my attention away from the mezzanine, down to the center of the room, where she stood.

Tall, thin, and blonde, she had short hair that was slicked back, save two thin tendrils that stood up slightly, looking for all the world like antennae. I might have actually called her beautiful, if it weren't for the bloodthirsty smirk on her face and the crazed look in her eyes, sending a chill down my spine. This woman… she wasn't sane now, if she ever was.

"Well, brat? Are you gonna stand there, or are you actually going to put up a fight when I rip you to shreds" The woman, Larxene, wasn't kidding when she said "Rip to shreds," I could hear it in her voice, and the thought almost made me freeze. But I heeded her words and unhooked Oathkeeper and Oblivion from my belt, holding them at the ready.

I was planning on waiting for her to make the first move, but a thought occurred to me. She probably _expected_ me to wait, if she thought I could fight even a little bit. So I might be able to catch her off guard if…

I suddenly crouched low and ran at her, my Keyblades dragging across the stone floor. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw sparks flying from the friction, and I smirked. I could use that.

I dragged Oathkeeper harder against the stone, sending more sparks into the air, before I flicked it up into Larxene's face, sparks still coming off of the blade. Her eyes went wide and she raised her hands as she leapt back. I could see six throwing daggers between her fingers, and I noticed small blue sparks flying between them.

Crap. Axel hadn't been kidding. Kinda wished he had been, though. Would have been a much easier fight.

Acting like I hadn't noticed the sparks, I kept going at her, making sure to stay on the offensive.

But she was just playing with me, waiting til I tired out. I formed a plan. Probably was no good, but it was worth a shot, seeing as I'd most likely get killed anyway. I started making my blows sloppy, acting like I was wearing out, but she didn't go for it, and I jumped back, out of arms' reach. This time, she took the bait and attacked.

I dove to the side, rolling to avoid the three daggers that had landed in a triangle surrounding the area I where had been standing. The moment the last dagger pierced the floor, large arcs of blue electricity crackled between the three weapons, and I looked over at Larxene. "Interesting weapon you got there? How'd you manage the lightning?" She glared at my teasing tone and threw another dagger at me, the air around her beginning to crackle with pent-up electricity. I dodged, but almost into the path of another dagger I hadn't noticed she'd thrown. The first dagger landed beside me, and immediately, lightning crackled between it and the second dagger, catching me in between. I cried out in pain from the shock and rolled away, skin tingling. I scrambled to my feet, only to be hit with more of the blue sparks, this time between the first set of daggers thrown and the second.

"Hmm. You stand up to the shock well. But how long can you last before I fry you, pipsqueak?" She curled her lip as she walked towards me. I leaped away again, this time careful of where I landed, as she threw another two daggers at me, then another.

After the third set, I froze, realizing something. She had only started with six daggers. She had also already passed the 10 mark in number of daggers she had thrown. Looking around, I saw that they were all still there, each with their tip still buried in the ground. So how had she…?

_Magic_. It was the only explanation.

Larxene grinned at me evilly, as if sensing my confusion, and threw another barrage of daggers. Crap. If I kept leaping around, I was bound to get caught sooner or later –

Suddenly, the portion of the room we were in lit up with a blue light, and I screamed as multiple arcs of electricity hit me. Dammit, she had been throwing all those daggers, and I had become so preoccupied with avoiding the ones in the air that I had forgotten she used the ones on the ground as well.

The flow of electricity began to ebb, and I collapsed, my body still sparking as Oathkeeper and Oblivion fell from my hands. Larxene walked up to me slowly, languidly, and clearly gloating, then kicked my Keyblades away from me, out of reach. She then grabbed one of her daggers, stuck in the ground beside my head, and stood over me. I tried to move, to get away, but my brain was still partially fried, and my body would not obey. So I had no choice but to lie there, hands out to my sides, palms up, as she contemplated how to kill me. She looked upwards, presumably at the mezzanine, and she must have liked what she saw, for she grinned, a manic look in her eye as she held up the dagger, fingering the edge and causing a form of blood to form on her fingertip. Damn, they were sharp.

She stood over me, poised to sink the dagger in my throat, when the thought went through my head.

_I don't want to die. Not here. Not now. Not without saying goodbye. And definitely not at the hands of this psycho bitch._

Before I realized what I was doing, I had lifted my hand, palm out, and a white light exploded, Oathkeeper materializing in it. I pushed myself up with one arm, and slashed out with Oathkeeper, catching Larxene just as she was about to deal the death-blow, the Keyblade cutting across her stomach. She stumbled back, blood pouring from the wound, as I stood, suddenly full of energy.

I glared at her as she dropped to her knees, but didn't attack. I wasn't about to kill her. As much as she deserved it.

Glancing up at the mezzanine, I noticed Xemnas was now missing, along with Axel. Had they grown tired of the fight? A weight settled in my stomach.

Bringing my gaze back down to Larxene, I saw Xemnas standing over her, and blinked. How…? Again, I figured it must be magic. There was no other way he could have gotten down here so quickly.

"XII," Xemnas said, his voice booming in the cavernous room. "Looks like he put up a good fight after all." He scowled at her injuries. "Now go see IV and get fixed up." Xemnas turned to me then, expression now blank. But before he could say anything, the doors to the room slammed open and Axel ran through, bumping into Larxene as he made his way to me. "Roxas! You beat Larxene! And you used Magic…" He pulled me into a hug, which I promptly fought off.

Axel turned to Xemnas. "You better let him join. He beat Larxene _and_ he can use magic? You'd have to be _stupid_ not to let him join!" Xemnas raised an eyebrow, but I could tell he was too intrigued by my show of promise to be too put off by Axel's words. His attention went back to me, and his golden eyes drilled into me for a minute before he spoke.

"You start in the morning. Axel will show you the ropes." With that, he walked away. The redhead beside me _whooped_. "Yes! I told you you'd get in!"

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**Also, thank you to those people who have decided to follow this story - it means a lot, and you're honestly one of the only reasons I'm even bothering to keep posting.**

**But enough with the sappy stuff. I'm finally on time! And my mom got out of the hospital yesterday, so i'm also in a very happy mood... sooo yeah, i'm really not in a very talkative mood at the moment, so i'm just gonna go before i embarrass myself with my completely random ramblings.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Scars

**Hello again!**

**I honestly had a heart attack when i saw i hadn't posted chapter 5 yet, because i thought i was on to chapter 6... and to that one fiend who helped convince me that i was behind on my chapters, f you, you're an ass. a friendly ass, but an ass all the same.**

** so, here's your chapter - and yes, i admit, it is mostly just a filler. i'm not sure why i included it, but i did. maybe i'll expand on it. i honestly don't know yet.**

**AND: i know i haven't been dong this often, and i know i really should be doing this every chapter (not even sure i did it at the beginning), but i haven't. and so, DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. REALLY wish i did, but i dont. i just steal Disney/Square Enix's characters and fool with their emotions. don't worry. they get the full 5 star treatment while they reside in my head. And yes, Zexion's got a LOT of books to keep him busy.**

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"Why do I have to share a room with you?" I was sitting on Axel's bed, beside his discarded coat, while the man dug in his closet for something I could wear to bed that would actually fit me.

"Because I'm the one who brought you in, and your room won't be ready for a while. Relax, it's not like I'm gonna do anything to you." He turned to me, smirking. "Unless you want me to do something…"

My cheeks burned. "Just get me something to wear already," I said, looking over at the clock on Axel's bedside table. 02:06. I was completely wiped out and the fight with Larxene had _not_ helped, because now, in addition to feeling tired, I was also sore all over. Plus I kept shocking everything I touched. It was a major pain in the arse, but at least I was alive.

Axel caught me off guard by tossing a pair of pajama pants and tshirt at me, both black. "Here. These are the smallest I've got."

I stood up, looking around the room. "Is there a bathroom I could change in or something?"

The redhead laughed. "Bathroom? Yeah, down the hall. If you don't mind changing with other guys in the same room, having a soak in the bath." I chocked on air. _What?_ Was there no such thing as privacy here, or something?

"Relax, kid. You can change here. I won't look." Axel turned away, and as if setting an example, took his own shirt off and tossed it to the floor of his closet. My eyes rounded at the well-toned back displayed – and the multitude of scars criss-crossing the skin, accompanying a large burn covering his entire left shoulder and a large portion of his back. I sucked in air through my teeth. "How'd it happen?"

Axel didn't turn to face me. "multiple different missions. Job hazard. You can expect some of your own, in time."

I shook my head. "Not those. The burn." Axel stiffened, so I figured it was a tough topic. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

We were both silent for a minute, me standing by the bed, him in front of his closet, back to me. Then he spoke.

"It was a fight. With a friend – ex-friend – of mine. He turned my magic against me, and I got burned. I still don't know how he did it, 'cause my skins impervious to fire, but he did." Axel turned, and I could see a flash of pain in his acid-green eyes. I wondered just how close him and this 'friend' of his had been. And how they felt about each other now. But I knew to leave it alone at that. It obviously hurt for him to think about it, and I didn't want to open up old wounds any more than I had already done.

I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, over the mark. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories." Axel smiled at me sadly, and placed his hand over mine. "It was bound to come up eventually." He removed my hand. "You should get changed."

He walked around me and collapsed onto the bed on his back, one of his legs hanging over the edge to the floor, his hands folded behind his head. Realizing he had closed his eyes so not to make me uncomfortable, I started to change.

I unzipped my sweater, pulled it off along with my shirt, quickly folded them, and put them on the floor beside the closet. Then I started to undo my belt buckle.

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed. You're not exactly out of shape." My face heated up as I spun to see Axel watching me with one eye still closed.

"I thought you weren't gonna watched!" I quickly picked up the shirt Axel had given me and pulled it over my head. "And just because I'm in shape doesn't mean I like to strut the fact around."

The redhead nodded, closing his eyes. "True enough." With that, he turned over onto his side, facing the wall. Taking advantage of him being faced away, I finished changing, dropping the rest of my clothes in a pile on top of my shirt and sweater, and pulling on the pajama pants. They were still too long, and I had to roll up the legs so I could avoid stepping on the hem, but they otherwise fit well.

I walked over to the bed. "So, am I sleeping on the floor?"

Axel rolled over. "Nope. Guest gets the bed. I'll take the floor." He got up and moved to the wall beside the door. "Get some sleep. It'll be an early morning tomorrow, and you'll be meeting the rest of the Organization." Sitting with his back against the wall, he propped his arms over his knees, bowing his head between them and closing his eyes.

I watched him for a moment before I got in the bed. I could tell he was still upset about his friend, and I definitely hadn't helped by bringing it up. Lying on my back, I gave Axel one last look before closing my eyes, allowing myself to drift slowly into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - Introductions

**OMYGOD i am sooo sorry... i forgot my usb at school so i couldnt do anything over the weekend...**

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I tried in vain to get my hair to lie flat the next morning. Although I had barely gotten any sleep in, I still managed to look like I had been sleeping for days, with my massive case of bed-head. Of course, my eyes were still drooping majorly so it was quite obvious I didn't sleep much.

Too much stuff for me to mull over. _Still too much stuff_, I thought as I followed Axel down the winding hallways, yawning. He said I was going to meet the rest of the Organization today, but honestly, I just wanted to go back to bed. Axel had to threaten setting my hair on fire to get me out from under the covers.

But a part of me was only using the tiredness as an excuse. After meeting Xemnas and Larxene, along with the other man they called IV, I had a bad feeling about everyone else, like I would have to work extra hard to be accepted.

"Here we are! The common room." Axel stopped at a set of double doors, these ones smaller and far more plain than the ones to the training room. "You ready?" He was smiling, grinning almost. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was giddy.

"As I'll ever be. Let's get this over with." Axel pushed open one of the doors and stepped through, me following.

The room was large, but not outright huge. There was a sitting area, or lounge of sorts, am array of couches to one side of the room and a small kitchen on the other. A large flatscreen TV also sat on the wall by the couches. There was also a medium-sized round table between the two sections of the room.

And then there were the people. I recognized Larxene immediately, sitting at the table with a close shaven blonde man with a trimmed goatee, and another man with – strangely – pink hair. I couldn't see number IV, the man in the labcoat, and I relaxed slightly.

The next thing I knew, Axel was dragging me towards the lounge area. "Hey, Slacker!" At his words, a young man around 18 or 19 turned, and I noticed his odd hairstyle. It seemed to be some sort of Mohawk/mullet hybrid, or something along those lines. The man turned, and a look of absolute glee erupted across his boyish face. "Hey, it's the new kid!" He leaped over the back of the couch, a large blue guitar-like instrument in hand. He set the instrument down and ran forward to pull me into a bear hug, which I promptly fought off.

Axel laughed. "In case you didn't notice, Dem, the kid isn't exactly fond of hugs." He turned his green eyes to me. "Roxas, this is the Organization's designated slacker and musician, Number IX, Demyx."

I smiled hesitantly at the energetic young man. "Uh… hey."

Demyx beamed. "Axel, he's so adorable! Can I keep him?" I was slightly taken aback, but the redhead just laughed. "Nice try, Dem. But no." He leaned towards me to whisper something in my ear. "Although he's technically not the youngest, he still acts like a child." Raising his voice, he continued. "Which means he can be a pain in the butt during missions."

"Ain't that the truth. Almost got me shot on our last round." I turned to the newcomer in the conversation. He looked to be one of the older members, with multiple silver-white streaks running through his black hair, drawn back into a low ponytail. The man also had an eye patch over his right eye, and a large scar stretching up over the side of his jaw on the left side, ending above his cheekbones and below his golden eye. He grinned mischievously as he talked, and although his words were accusing, he was still very relaxed. If you counted fighting off laughter as relaxed.

He stood up from the couch he was sitting on and moved over to us. "The name's Xigbar, kid. Also known as Number II." He held out his hand, and I took it, introducing myself. "I'm Roxas."

Xigbar nodded. "Roxas. Lucky number XIII. Congrats, newbie."

I looked over at Axel. "Lucky number 13?"

"You're our 13th number. And since our name is Organization XIII…" I nodded at the explanation. Made sense.

"Come on. Let's get you meeting the rest." Xigbar looked over the rest of the room, hollering "Oi! Newbie's here! Come on and introduce yourselves." At the words, every eye in the room focused on me. Larxene's were glaring with hatred, and the pink-haired man looked almost disdainful at my presence. But everyone else just seemed mildly curious.

The blonde from the table stood up first, placing a hand of playing cards on the table. "Luxord. You?" He said when he got to me, shaking my hand. His voice had a hint of a British accent.

"Roxas." The man was brief, to the point when he spoke, his words clipped. "You met Larxene, and you have probably figured out that she hates you. And the man with pink hair is Marluxia. He's… with larxene, so don't take his dislike personally. You _did_ beat up his girl, after all." With that, he walked back to the table, sliding into his chair and picking up his cards, nodding at the other two players to continue.

I purposely ignored the mental daggers Larxene was thowing at me via her eyes, and noticed a few others coming over to Axel and I.

The tall, burly man with brown hair, who was in the kitchen at the time of my arrival to the room, introduced himself as Lexaeus. I got the impression from him that he was a man of very few words. Another man, Xaldin, as he introduced himself as, had a mass of long dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail. He seemed nice enough, although he was a little quiet as well.

Finally, only one person in the room had yet to introduce themselves – a man looking to be the same age as Axel, if not a little older, with long blue hair. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the far wall of the room. I walked over to him and put out my hand. "Roxas."

His yellow-orange eyes blinked, and he shook my hand once, his grip firm. I could feel the raw, animalistic power radiating from him, and my instincts told me to stay as far away from this quiet man as possible.

"Saix." The voice had come from behind me, so I turned around to see Axel standing right behind me, his green eyes trained on Saix's golden orange ones. I saw something pass between them, but the feelings I was picking up on were so mixed, I gave up trying to figure out whether they liked each other and were just having a fight, or if they just merely tolerated each other.

Then Saix spoke, his words directed at me, although he was still looking at Axel. "Numbers IV and VI have arrived. Why don't you go introduce yourself." Spoken with the wording of a suggestion, his tone betrayed the fact that it was, in fact, an order. Looking back at Axel, I started to walk away from the two of them. As soon as I was out of earshot, I saw them begin to talk. Saix kept his cool, but Axel was clearly bristling at the blue-haired man's words.

I walked over to the door, not really paying attention. So when the door opened to reveal the man in the lab coat, I jumped, making him sneer.

"Oh, it's the newbie. Fine, my name is Vexen, but you will call me Number IV, as I am your superior." I looked at him, and decided that the dislike was mutual. "Roxas," I stated shortly, turning my attention to the other new arrival behind the man.

I froze. The person was slightly taller than me, with slate-coloured hair falling in a sheet over one eye. The other eye was trained on the floor, lashes covering the iris that I knew was a beautiful shade of grayish indigo.

"Z-Zexion?!"


	7. Chapter 7 - Magic

**I'm back... and I've started working on a novel of my own, so if i don't update every week, just try and wait for the next week...**

**I feel really bad about making you possibly wait, but I'm actually pretty serious about this book, and it has become kind of a top priority - even more than my schoolwork, which is probably not the smartest decision I've made.**

**But regardless, you'll stick with me, right...? Please?**

**If you don't, I may just go cry in a corner now. TTnTT**

**not that I'm trying to guilt you into not leaving me...**

**But the story - you didn't come here to read all my ramblings, you came to read the story (I hope). So i will let you.**

**And if you really don't want to put up with me wasting your time, then go ahead and skip my authors notes. if i have anything Really important, I'll put it at the end, in all caps.**

**But that really never happens, 'cuz nothing important ever really happens around me.**

* * *

"I – I'm sorry I didn't tell you – it wasn't that I didn't want to, but rather I would get in a lot of trouble if I did."

Zexion's words fell on deaf ears. I was too busy going through all our time together, searching for when the betrayal had first begun.

My chest tightened. Betrayal. It seemed like a strong word, and I would probably regret thinking it later, but at the moment, it felt like an apt description. We had promised each other at the beginning to never keep anything from one another. No matter how big, no matter how small. We were brothers – no, we were closer than brothers. I was closer to Zexion than I had ever been to Sora.

Or so I had thought.

I stormed out into the hallway, grabbing the collar of Zexion's lab coat on the way, pulling him with me. I shut the door behind us – I might not be happy with him, but I didn't want to embarrass either of us by yelling at him with an audience.

"What happened to telling each other everything?" I was pissed, and now that we were away from everyone else, I let my voice rise.

"I already told you, I would have been in a lot of trouble – and pain – if I had even done so much as hinted at anything."

I glared at him. "How long? How long have you been lying to me?"

Zexion still hadn't met my eyes this whole time, continuing to stare at the floor as if it offered an escape from my anger. "Almost a year now. I had to give my word that I wouldn't tell anyone, so I could continue to live outside of the compound."

A feeling of confusion welled up in me. "Why not just disappear? Why hang on to your life before the organization?" My tone was still accusing, but I couldn't help it – I was still mad, and I hadn't finished venting.

"I wanted to actually finish my schooling this time around. And I didn't want to abandon our friendship." Zexion finally looked at me. "Look, I know you're not happy with me, but I chose what I thought was best at the time. What I still think was best."

I opened my mouth to respond, but the door to the common room opened a crack, and Axel poked his head out. "Roxas? Where'd you – oh!" He came out into the hall. "There you are. You disappeared on me."

Turning away from Zexion, I walked down the hallway Axel had led me down to get to the common room. The redhead looked at Zexion inquisitively, then jogged after me, catching up quickly with his long legs. "What was that all about?" He asked, his voice a mixture of curious and concerned.

I shook my head. "I'll tell you later. Right now I just need to vent off some anger."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Axel grin. "Well, I _did_ want to see what other tricks you've got up your sleeves… c'mon, let's go to the training room." With that, he walked ahead of me, his long legs forcing me to jog just to keep up.

When we reached the large double doors, he pushed them open, striding into the large room. After he got a fair ways towards the center, he turned to face me.

I was a few feet away from him when he held up his hand, motioning for me to stop, and I did so.

"Do you remember how you beat Larxene?"

I nodded, remembering how I had been on the ground, about to get a dagger in my throat, when Oathkeeper had appeared in my hand.

"That was magic." Axel's eyes were trained on me, watching my reaction.

"I can do magic?" I was surprised, although in the back of my mind, I felt like I had already known this. "So you're saying I_ summoned_ Oathkeeper, or something?"

Axel nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. How about you try it again?"

I stared at him. "I don't even know how I did it the first time! And even if I did, it was a few feet away, not in a completely different room!"

Axel chuckled. "Relax. Distance doesn't matter. Think of it this way: instead of calling the weapon _to you_, imagine you're reaching through a… rip in the dimension and simply grabbing it from its current location." To demonstrate, he held his own hand out to his side, and I noticed the air around it begin to shimmer. "Focus. Clear your mind, the picture where the weapon is, grab it, and…" There was a sudden burst of flame, and a large red and white metal wheel lined with spikes materialized in his hand.

"See? Not that hard." He paused, seeing me eyeing his weapon cautiously. "It's a chakram. I've got two of them, but I only needed one to show you." He lowered the chakram, and I brought my hand up in front of me, copying what he had said. I pictured Oathkeeper lying on the floor of Axel's room, at the foot of the bed where I had left it this morning. In my mind's eye, I grabbed it, pulling it from _there_ to _here_, and the next thing I knew, there was a flash of pure white light and Oathkeeper was settled in my outstretched hand. My eyes widened. _Magic…_

Without moving my other hand, I pictured oblivion, and even faster than Oathkeeper had done, it was in my other hand, this time darkness swirling around it, dripping off the blade in streams of blackness.

Even Axel looked impressed. "I think I might have figured out what your magic is," he started, but I cut him off before I could finish.

"You mean that wasn't it?"

Axel shook his head. "No, everyone who as any amount of magic can summon a weapon. Or anything else, really. I've seen Zexion and Vexen summon books from the library when they were in their labs. The public library. No, I have a feeling your magic might be associated with the light and dark forces. You noticed the darkness dripping off the second Keyblade when you summoned it?"

I looked down at Oblivion, seeing the last tendrils of black vaporizing as they fell away, and nodded. I made sense. Axel's magic was fire, and his chakram had materialized in a ball of fire. When I summoned Oathkeeper, it had appeared in a burst of pure white light, as opposed to Oblivion's darkness.

"How do I know for sure?" I was intrigued. I could do _magic_. I felt like a little child all over again as a giddy feeling went through me.

Axel shrugged. "I don't know. It's different for everyone. I found mine while I was playing with an old lighter of mine, and I realized I could make the flames dance along my fingers without burning myself." He ruffled his hair, chuckling. "I actually set my bed on fire once. I was sick, and I sneezed… not fun." He paused, regaining his composure. "Demyx found out when he almost drowned, Larxene got pissed and shocked everyone within a 10 foot radius, putting Demyx in the medical bay for a week, despite Vexen's concoctions."

Axel began chuckling again, and I looked around, looking for something to attack as practice that _wasn't_ Axel. I saw a wooden dummy, riddled with holes and slash marks, missing part of its head, among other chunks, that made me wonder just how old the thing was.

I put Axel, Zexion, and everything else that had happened to me over the last few days out of my head, and looked deep in my soul, searching for the light that was connected through Oathkeeper. It didn't take long to find it, and when I did, I just… channeled it, through the Keyblade. I felt the metal warming up, vibrating in my grip, as if it was building up it's power. I held it back until the pressure in my head and the vibrations of the weapon were almost to strong to bear, then aimed the blast at the dummy.

Pure white light shot out of the end of the Keyblade and enveloped the wood, then seemed to almost implode, like a secondary attack in itself. The dummy still stood when the light dissipated, although it looked a lot more damaged than before.

I glanced over at Axel, who was watching me, eyebrows raised. "I guess you were right. Now how much you wanna bet Oblivion's darkness?"

Axel chuckled. "Go ahead and see if you can destroy the dummy. It's been with us since the beginning, and no one's been able to destroy it completely. Sure, part of the head is gone, and there are a good number of chunks gone, plus all the pieces of ash and splinters hanging loose, but the bulk of it? Obviously still there. Even Xemnas can't destroy the bugger. The thing's been through hell and back alive. Mostly."

I nodded, turning back to the dummy. I noticed Axel was right. The dummy did look old, the wood worn not just by attacks, but age as well.

Looking inside myself like I had done with Oathkeeper, I searched for the darkness. This was harder, and it fought me, but I drew on the emotions of anger, fear, and betrayal, among others that I had felt over the last few hours.

All of a sudden, I felt the darkness build up in the Keyblade, and I had to switch gears, pulling the power back instead of drawing it out. I held it back for as long as I could, trying, but the pressure was too great, and the power exploded from the tip.

The tendrils of darkness snaked out, most aiming for the wooden dummy, but a few separated from the main body and headed towards Axel. He summoned his second chakram to defend himself against the unexpected attack.

The blast was much more powerful that the white light of Oathkeeper, and it ravaged the dummy, blowing it to smithereens. Thankfully, Axel only caught a small fraction of the attack, and was merely knocked off his feet.

I stood there, my eyes wide at the show of power I had just performed. The dummy was almost gone, only a few pieces bigger than a baseball, and those were dripping with excess darkness, pooling around the remains. Axel was staggering to his feet, his chakrams also dripping with darkness. He shook one of them, and the darkness fell away, turning into wisps of smoke. Then he made his way towards me, stopping right in front of me.

"That was..." He trailed off, eyes flicking up to check if anyone was watching from the mezzanine. "Holy. Wow. Uh, you might not want to let too many people know about the true power of that attack of yours. Xemnas doesn't often appreciate people being stronger than him, and you could be in some serious danger if he finds out you could beat the crap out of him."

I nodded, taking it all in. "Well then. I take it that wasn't exactly normal?"

Axel shook his head vigorously. "Hell no. Definitely not. Most people don't reach even _near_ that level of attack until _years_ of practice. Face it, Roxas. You're the Organization's strongest – and most dangerous – member. But you're also _in_ the most danger.


	8. Chapter 8 - New Uniform

YAY NEW CHAPTER!

i feel horrible for not updating, but i have valid excuses:

1\. teachers hate me and like to pile too many 5-10 page essays on my shoulders.

2\. work hates me, and although i like it there, it takes up too much of my time.

3\. parents hate me, making me help set up for Christmas when i already go to bed around 3 at the earliest because of my work. lets just say i haven't had more than a few consecutive hours of sleep in a few weeks. (i get up at 5:30 for the stinking bus... seriously do not like high school, but i'm grade 12, so i'm pretty much done!)

* * *

"Wait, I haven't even finished my first day, and I'm already being sent out on a mission? I don't even know how to fight properly yet, and I literally just figured out my magic - I can't even control it yet!"

Axel laughed, and Demyx made his way over to us. "You guys ready for the mission?"

I shook my head. "Not really. Are you coming too?"

I swear, Demyx practically started bouncing up and down at the question. "Yup!" I shook my head, slightly overwhelmed by the young man's reaction. "I thought you were the 'slacker' of the Organization, not the over enthusiastic one."

Axel collapsed onto the couch, chuckling. "He's both. Now come on, let's go get your coat."

I followed Axel out of the common room where we had migrated to after our little practice session in the training room.

'Don't tell anyone about that little power display, got that memorized? If anyone asks, you merely figured out you had power over light and dark.'

I sighed. It was hard, suddenly having that kind of ability, then being told to hide it. I forced my mind off the subject. "So, where are we going?"

Axel looked over his shoulder at me. "To get your Organization coat. Everyone has one - It's what we wear on missions."

A memory flashed in my mind of when I had first seen Axel. "Like the one you wore when you saved me in that alleyway?"

He nodded. "You remember what I was wearing? I didn't realize you were conscious enough to pick up on something like that." We walked down a few more hallways, and I had a vague sense of recognition. I stayed silent for a second before it clicked, at which time, I stopped dead. "Xemnas? We're seeing Xemnas?"

Axel nodded. "He should have your coat ready by now, so come on, before we hold everyone up."

I followed silently. I decided I really wasn't fond of the Organization's leader, but I would have to deal - and just stay out of his way, off his radar.

We arrived at the door to Xemnas' office, and Axel knocked quickly on the wood. Almost immediately, Xemnas' low voice reverberated through the wood, telling us to enter the room. Axel opened the door, motioning for me to enter before him. I did so, albeit reluctantly, keeping my eyes on the floor.

I'll be the first to admit it - I was scared of him.

I felt Axel walk in behind me, tense. Apparently, I wasn't the only one uncomfortable around Xemnas. "Is his coat ready?" Xemnas didn't say a word at the question, but merely nodded in the direction of a chair near the door. Axel walked over to the piece of furniture and grabbed the coat, which had been hanging over one of the armrests. He then turned and put a hand on my shoulder, steering me out of the room before he closed the door with something akin to haste. Not that I needed encouraging to leave. I had had to hold myself from bolting since I stepped in. I had a feeling my newfound power would still be considered insignificant beside our leader's.

"Come on - let's go to my room so you can strip down a few layers." I chocked on air at Axel's words.

"What?!"

Axel looked at me oddly, then the confusion fled his face, understanding taking hold. And I could have been seeing things, but I swore I saw a light tinge of pink spread across his cheeks, accentuating his cheek bones for a split second before he looked away, a laugh bursting out of him. "Not like that! Jeez, I'm not always the pervert you make me out to be, Roxas."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not always?" Axel looked embarrassed by the slip, but he covered it well with another one of his typical comments. "Well, I gotta be a perv some of the time. I am a guy, after all."

"And so am I, but I don't seem to have those moments."

Axel grinned. "Ah, but your mind still went there, didn't it?" I fell silent. He did have a point.

"Fine. But why do I have to she'd some layers?"

Axel held up my new coat. "These things are infused with magic - they regulate your temperature. And they're not exactly designed to have more than a thin layer underneath. It's too bulky, it limits maneuverability." I nodded. Made enough sense. And it explained what they did in the winter - I had been having a pretty hard time imagining the members all swaddled up in coats and scarves while fighting. I laughed at the picture my mind was producing, and Axel looked at me, bemused by my seemingly random burst of laughter. I shook my head to dismiss the question I could see him wanting to ask.

We got to his room, and he unlocked it, then walked in, me following. He tossed the oat on the bed and turned to me. "Okay, the sweater's got to go, at the very least."

Grumbling at his straightforward approach, I unzipped my hoodie, setting it on the bed beside the coat, revealing my tight grey v-neck T-shirt underneath. I felt his eyes on me as I did so, and I looked up to meet Axel's vibrant green eyes. My face flushed as I realized he had been watching me, and judging by the light dusting of pink colouring his cheeks, it hadn't exactly been innocently. He broke eye contact, looking at the floor, and I grabbed my coat and shrugged it on. I zipped it up, then started fiddling with the chains - there was one that went across the front, attached to either side of the zipper. I was having a little bit of trouble getting the one side to clip on, and I was focused on it, so when Axel grabbed the chain from my hands and connected it effortlessly, I was more than a bit startled.

I looked up at his face when he didn't remove his hand from the clasp, and his eyes jerked up to meet mine, emerald gems swimming in an ocean of blue.

"Um… thanks." My voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, and Axel all but leaped away from me. He went over to his closet and pulled out his own coat, identical in design to mine, and tugged off his T-shirt. I felt my eyes roam over his muscles, then land once again on the large burn scar. Then my view was obstructed when Axel pulled on the coat, turning to leave as he zipped it and connected the chain.

I followed him quickly, closing the door behind me, staying silent the whole way above ground.

What had that been? Residual feelings were still swirling around in me, most of which I had no clue as to what they were. Shaking my head, I sped up so I was walking beside Axel, taking two steps every one of his to keep up with his long legs.

We reached the end of the hallway, and Axel opened the trapdoor before ascending the ladder to the room above. I followed, right behind him, and I began to feel a bit of apprehension about the mission. What were we going to be doing? Was I going to joining in, or merely tagging along? The questions swirled in my head as we made out way through the house.

It was sunny when we got outside - a change from the almost daily rain we usual got in April. I looked up at the clear sky appreciatively, almost forgetting what I was about to do, but Axel walked over to a black service van and knocked on the metal loudly, bringing me back to the moment. I moved down the steps and got to the van the same moment the side door slid open, revealing a bunch of computer equipment, weapons, and sitting In the middle of it all, Zexion.

Axel climbed in, careful not to step on anything, and I followed suite, settling down beside a box of what looked like grenades of some sort. Axel popped his head between the front seats, and I heard Demyx's voice. "Axel! Took you long enough!"

Axel replied quickly. "Had to grab Roxas' coat. So, what's the mission?"


	9. Chapter 9 - Mission

Sorry about the weird thing that i had with this chapter, i think i updated via mobile, and i didnt realize i posted two chapters in one, one being a redo. so, now that i'm back for a little bit, i'm fixing this up, and i will also be posting a bunch of chapters to catch up with whats posted on archiveofourown.

* * *

"It's the same as usual." Zexion was the one who answered Axel's question, and the redhead retreated from the front of the vehicle, settling down beside me. "More Hearts?" Zexion nodded, and I both felt and heard the van start up. Zexion spoke again once again the vehicle had started moving.

"The Heart is in the possession of a woman named Selena Faerine. She lives in the outskirts of the city, in her manor, with her husband, Xander, and their child, Naminé. They are all of strong Wiccan blood, and their magic is very strong, associated with death. And be wary - there are also tales of a small, dark-haired girl haunting the woods on their property. She completely destroys her victims, usually in the bloodiest way possible, and has a tendency to leave them in pieces. Many pieces." He paused, letting the fact sink in, and the driver chuckled.

"You really do you research well, don't you, Zex?" I recognized Luxord's voice. So, it was Axel, Demyx, Zexion, Luxord, and me. I didn't see anyone else in the van, so I assumed that that was our team.

Zexion glared in Luxord's direction. "It's my job, so of course I do it well. Besides, if I didn't, all you'd do is get yourselves killed. How many times must I tell you, knowledge is power."

Luxord outright laughed at this. "Yeah, whatever, bookie. I got my magic, so I'll be fine." Zexion grumbled, then went back to prepping us for the mission.

"Your job is to get in, find the heart, grab it, and get out, hopefully without casualties. There shouldn't be any need to engage them in combat, so avoid it if you can." With that, Zexion turned his attention away from us. I looked over at Axel. "What did Zexion mean by 'heart'?"

Axel looked over at me. "Not actual hearts. They're called 'Hearts of Magic' but people call them Hearts for short. Hearts are basically... a large concentration of extremely powerful magic, contained in a small stone. They enhance the magic of the person in possession of them, so people tend to attach them to weapons, or make them into jewelry." I nodded, understanding.

"So we have to break into a manor, find a tiny stone that could be anywhere, then escape, and do so without drawing attention to ourselves? Do we even know what these hearts look like? I mean, are they shaped like hearts or something?"

Axel ruffled his hair. "Eh... That's the thing. Each heart is different in appearance. The last one I saw was an ocean blue colour - kinda like your eyes, now that I think about it." He seemed to realize what he was saying a second too late, and stuttered the rest of what he was saying quickly, face reddening. "I-it was a teardrop shape, and the one before that, I heard it was a yellow five-pointed star." I nodded, and he continued. "So yeah, basically all you've got to go on is that it's a small crystalline stone. But you'll fell your magic react to it, growing stronger the nearer you are to it. So if you feel that, start searching hard in that spot, 'cuz you're close."

I took a deep breath, then blew it out, exasperated. "Lovely."

"Okay, we're gonna have to walk from here," Luxord said from the front. "Zexion, you connected?" I looked over at Zexion, who nodded. "Yes. Line 3. I'm also tapping into their security system, so I can watch everything." He dug in a box beside him and took four small headsets out, passing them to each of us, then took out another for himself.

Luxord turned the van off and hopped out, Axel, Demyx and I following suit.

Luxord's turned to us. "Okay. It's still a ways to the manor, but as soon as we get there, we'll get inside and split up in pairs. He turned to Zexion. "Can you tell where our best entry point is?" Zexion consulted one of the screens on the inside wall of the van.

"There are cellar doors on the left side of the manor. They look to be locked with a padlock, but that shouldn't be a problem. The door out of the cellar comes into the kitchen."

Luxord nodded. "Keep us informed, got it, my little bookworm?" Zexion grumbled and closed the van door, shutting himself inside.

Luxord chuckled. "That little guy... It can be so fun to piss him off."

"_You realize I can hear you, right?_"

Zexion's voice came through my earpiece, along with a burst of static. I jumped slightly, making Axel raise a questioning brow at me. Luxord laughed. "That's the point, my dear Zexy."

"_Luxord... Don't push your luck. And _don't_ call me Zexy._" I chuckled at the nickname Zexion truly despised with every fibre of his being. The last guy that had called him that had ended up being bitch-slapped with a giant dictionary. I smiled at the memory as Luxord gestured for us to get going. "Whatever you say... Zexy."

It took up a few minutes to walk through the forest, and my shoes, along with the hem of my pants, were soaked from the water still seeping into the ground. It was April, after all, and the ground here obviously hadn't absorbed all the water from the latest rainfall yet.

Silently, Luxord made his way from the tree-line and crept to the cellar doors, right where Zexion had said they would be. He knelt down and inspected the lock. After a moment, his voice came over the headsets. "Axel. Get over here."

Axel grinned over at me, flipping his hood over his flaming hair. He moved low to the ground, then crouched next to Luxord. I moved as close as I could without leaving the cover of the tree-line, and was just able to make out Axel taking the padlock into his palm. He held it there, and after a minute, it began to glow. A minute after that, it turned white with heat. At that point, Axel yanked on the lock, and the metal snapped like a twig.

Luxord motioned for me and Demyx to come, and the two of us made our way quietly across the grass. By the time we got to the cellar doors, Luxord had pulled them open, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.

"After you," Axel whispered in my ear, and since I didn't hear his voice through my earpiece as well, I figured he had removed his own earpiece. I looked up, and jumped a little when I realized his face was right by mine, his mouth literally right next to my ear. I could feel his warm breath hitting the shell of my ear as he chuckled. "Well? Surely you aren't afraid of the dark - after all it is one of your powers."

I shook my head, as a shiver went down my spine. I looked around, trying to see if Luxord and Demyx were still aboveground. They weren't. Then, as if on cue, Demyx's voice sounded in my other ear - the one with the headset. "Hey Axel, where are you? We need some light!" I turned towards the said redhead, momentarily forgetting just how close he was standing. I was suddenly faced with the sight of his eyes, blazing green and staring wide into mine - very close; too close.

My face flushed, and I took a step back, tapping my headset as I did so. Axel, getting the hint, put his back on just in time to hear Luxord's voice.

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

Axel looked over at me. "Just heading in now. Roxy was feeling a bit nervous." I glowered at him, and stalked down the cellar stairs.

"Don't call me that, flamsilocks."

I heard both Luxord and Demyx snort with laughter, and I could also hear Zexion laughing, although with his voice came a bit of static.

Suddenly, Axel gripped my shoulders from behind, and was whispering in my ear again - and thanks to the headset, he was in both ears. "Flamsilocks? I'm hurt. Why resort to such childish name-calling?"

I raised an eyebrow, and reached over my shoulder to flick Axel between the eyes.

"Ack! Roxas!?" He let go of my shoulders and stumbled back slightly. I laughed as Demyx started bugging me to tell him what just happened.

"He got what he deserved" was all I said.

I blinked as a light flared up beside me, illuminating the darkness. "Hey, Luxord, Dem, can you see the light?"

"Yup."

Within seconds, the other two Organization members entered the small circle of light cast by Axel's conjured flame. "So, you think the Heart could be down here?" Luxord asked.

"_Probably not, but it really wouldn't hurt to check anyways._" Zexion's voice came over the headsets, and I shook my head. "How are we going to check if we can barely see in front of us?"

Axel looked over at me. "Hey, Rox, can you use that Keyblade of yours? See if you can light up the space."

I realized that he was right – the light from Oathkeeper would be a lot stronger than Axel's flame, and a lot less dangerous. I raised my hand in front of my face and shut my eyes, summoning the Keyblade in a flash of light.

"Gah! Could've warned us, couldn't you?" Luxord exclaimed. "Even if the light will help us, I think you may have just blinded me."

I opened my eyes. "Sorry." But I was preoccupied, trying to figure out how to make light without actually releasing it, since the light had died off when Oathkeeper had fully materialized in my hand. Then, as if tuned into my thoughts, Oathkeeper began glowing until it was a pure white light nestled in my palm, illuminating the whole room when I lifted it above my head. "Will this do?" I couldn't help the small amount of pride in my tone.

"Awesome! C'mon guys, we don't want Roxas standing there forever – let's look!" Demyx's reaction made me laugh, and I looked over at Axel, smiling. I could see a flash of pride in his own eyes as he watched me, before he turned to search for the Heart with the others.

I stood there for only about five minutes, testifying to the fact that they did this often and knew how to search the large cellar efficiently without taking too much time.

"C'mon. It's not down here, so let's head up and split." Luxord's voice came over the line, and I saw Axel and Demyx head towards the stairs Zexion had said led to the kitchen. I started walking as well, still holding Oathkeeper high. I lowered the Keyblade only when I reached the stairs and started climbing up them. Oathkeeper's light diminished as I ascended, going out all together when I reached the last step.

I looked around as I let Oathkeeper fade away. There were windows, and the moonlight streamed through the sheer curtains drawn over them. I could see dirty dishes, pots and pans, and various utensils scattered over the various counters.

"Don't these people ever do dishes?" Luxord was leaning over the sink, a look of disgust on his face. "This place is dirty enough that I'd say the owners have been gone for a week at least, if I didn't know any better."

Axel glanced through one of the windows. "Whatever. C'mon, let's get this over with – this place is giving me the creeps. Feels like I'm being watched."

"_You are, remember? I tapped into their security system._" Zexion's words didn't seem to make Axel relax in the slightest. "Not you, Zexion. Something… inhuman. Malevolent."

Demyx laughed. "Aw, come on, Axel! Don't tell me you've suddenly become afraid of the dark!"

I shook my head. "I'm with Axel on this one. Something's not right with this place." Luxord looked at me, and I could almost see his train of thought. One person was a misread feeling. Two people, however…

"Let's split, then, and get this done quickly. Demyx and I will take this floor, and you two take care of the second. Everyone will rendezvous up on the third floor when they're done their own floor." Axel and I nodded, then exited the kitchen, stepping into the dimly lit hallway. "Where's the staircase?" I asked.

"_To your right, near the end of the hallway, before it turns right._" Zexion's voice paused over the line. "_Wow. You guys get the labyrinth floor. The hallways are so maze-like – lots of dead ends. Good luck._"

Axel nodded, even though Zexion couldn't see him. "Thanks for the heads-up, Zex." We started down the hallway, slowing down when we neared the end. "Now, where's that bloody staircase…?" Axel looked around before finding it. The staircase was small, narrow, and very rickety. I found myself ascending them carefully, fearful they would collapse under me. "Are you sure people actually live here?"

Axel chuckled. "I sure hope so, or this mission would be a worthless waste of my time."

I smiled as we reached the top of the stairs. "So, how do you guys do this?" I asked.

Axel shrugged his black-clad shoulders. "Just look anywhere someone might hide a small stone about the size of a dollar. Check any weapons, too, remember?" I nodded, and we worked our way down the hallway, checking any rooms we came across.

A ways down, I noticed something liquid had seeped out from underneath one of the doors and had dried. I eased the door open, my heart pounding. And what I saw made me stumble back into the hall and start dry heaving.

Axel came running over to me, putting his hand on my back. "Hey kid, what's wrong? You okay?" I shook my head. I felt very not okay.

"Axel… don't – don't go in there…"

He ignored my pleading, and moved to the door I had left slightly ajar.

"Oh shit. God…" He backed up like I had done, and I looked up at him, then immediately wished I hadn't. He hadn't closed the door behind him, and it had swung wide, giving me a clear view of the room – and the massacre in it.

I couldn't look away. The scene was horrendous, blood covering everything, including the walls and ceiling; body parts torn into pieces scattered all around the room. I could see the remnants of a person's head – its skull was cracked open, and pieces of now-dried braid had leaked out. Everything was dried, and the identifiable parts of the bodies were shriveled up, so I guessed that they had been like this for a while, weeks at least. But what was weird was that there were no traces of any bugs or any other lifeforms feasting on the dead flesh. By all means, the pieces should be swarming with maggots and other bugs, but there wasn't even a fly to be seen. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Hey Zexion, why didn't you say anything?" Axel's voice brought me back, and I tore my eyes from the gruesome sight of the room.

"_I can't see in that room, that's why. What's in there, anyways? I don't think I've ever seen you this freaked out before._"

"_Do you want us to come up?_" Luxord's voice came over the line, and Axel glanced at the room, all but shouting "no!" into his headset. "You deal with your floor." He paused, then addressed Zexion. "It's a massacre. Two people, I'm guessing. Ripped to shreds. There isn't an inch of the room not drenched in blood and or guts."

The line went silent, then there was a burst of static crackling through the headsets. "_Hey, Axel? Wh–t h––nd? Th– –meras ar– –ut!_" I looked at Axel. Why was the line breaking up so badly? "What?" I asked. "You're breaking up. We can't hear you."

"_– __cam–as –– out. I c–n't see any–ng. I ca– –rly he– –ou!_"

"Zexion, what's going on?" Axel growled into his headset. There was a large burst of static, then the headsets went dead. Axel cursed. "Roxas, stay on guard. Someone's interfering with the signal." I nodded, then noticed I wasn't hearing his voice through my headset as well. "Uh, Axel? The headsets aren't working. At all." Axel furrowed his brow, then removed his earpiece.

"You might as well take it off, then. They're useless."

I shook my head. "What if they start working again?" Axel grunted.

"Fine. Keep yours on and keep an ear out. Tell me if they say anything, then repeat what's said to me." With that, he tossed his to the ground and summoned his twin chakrams. I followed suit, Oblivion appearing in my hands in a burst of seeping darkness.

Suddenly, I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise, and a chill ran down my spine. Axel must have felt something similar, because he whipped around, facing behind me. I turned as well.

There in the darkness stood the form of a girl, around 13 years old, dressed in a ebony black dress. It had thin straps and a sweetheart neckline, and I could see a small red pendant at her neck, glowing slightly. The Heart? I contemplated the chances. Maybe. But what would such a young girl be doing with it? I looked at her closely. Her hair was long and stringy, black as space, and it fell just past her shoulders. Her face was mostly in shadow, so I couldn't see her eyes, but her lips seemed to be stained a dark red that stood out against her porcelain skin that was streaked with visible veins, creating a spider web-like effect. In her hand, I thought I saw what looked like a small doll, no bigger than an adult's hand.

Then she brought the doll to her mouth, and my stomach churned as she bit into it - and blood began to flow out, dripping down her chin.


	10. Chapter 10 - Battle

See? lotsa chapters. theres still more to come.

* * *

I felt bile rise in my throat as I realized that the doll she was hold wasn't a doll at all, but instead was a chunk of flesh. Human flesh. Axel made a noise beside me, and I guessed he had realized this fact as well.

The girl stepped forward, stepping into the light of a large window, and she grinned at us, teeth stained red as she swallowed. Dropping the hunk of flesh, she moved forwards with a slow, stalking gait, and Axel and I backed up, ready for the attack.

But neither of us anticipated for what happened next.

A small voice emanated from the girl, gravelly and thick.

"Help... me…."

I shivered at the torn quality of the voice, the words in complete contrast with the appearance and actions of the girl. My thoughts spun. What was wrong with her? Or was she perfectly fine and just trying to get our guard down?

Her eyes locked with mine, a pleading look in the glowing red irises. I frowned, glancing over at Axel. "What's with her eyes?" Axel shook his head.

"Dunno. Probably possessed or something. I've never seen this before." He crouched down, battle ready, and the girl screeched as his chakrams burst into flames. They rushed at each other, and I could help but stand to the side, enthralled by their fast-paced duel. Sparks flew as her bare hand caught one of the blades of a chakram, and I realized something was affecting her body, making it as hard as steel, maybe harder. She yanked on the weapon, and he stumbled off balance, right in to the path of her claw-like nails. He narrowly avoided them, rolling to the floor and coming up a few feet away.

"Roxas!" he called, and I snapped to attention. "A little help here?"

I nodded, and warily stepped towards the girl, who was now snarling in my direction. I decided to make the first move and surged forward, Oblivion swinging along a trajectory to her neck.

She stopped the blade just shy of her skin, and pushed it back. I spun with the momentum, coming around with another attack, which she also blocked in the nick of time. She started to go on the offensive now, and her hand raked towards my face. I ducked, and as I rolled to the side, I felt a heat surge above me. Knowing if I stood up at that moment, I would get my head taken off by a flaming chakram, I stayed low until the second spiked wheel spun over me. She had caught the first, but as she moved to grab the second out of the air before it hit her, I rose, surging towards her, Keyblade once again poised to strike. She hesitated in her choice of which to defend against, and she staggered away a second later with a long cut along her cheekbone. I stood my ground, not following her retreat. I felt Axel's presence behind me as he spoke.

"Use your magic now that she's weakened a bit."

I nodded, and focused all my energy into Oblivion's blade. It stared to vibrate, glowing a deep black, and black crawled along the metal. I stayed still, eyes straight ahead at the girl until I felt like I couldn't hold it back any longer. Pointing the Keyblade's tip towards my opponent, I released the dark magic, pure blackness exploding out from around the blade and honing in on the girl, who disappeared in a mass of blackness.

When it cleared, she was on one knee, breathing heavily. I looked over at Axel, grinning in triumph. I had done it. I had used magic in a real battle and had severely injured the enemy. He grinned back, and was reaching out a hand to ruffle my hair when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

A pain exploded in my chest as I turned towards to girl, who was no longer on her knees. Instead, she was now colliding into me with the weight of a freight train, and I was slammed into the wall, the plaster cracking from the impact. She looked into my eyes and grinned, and suddenly the burning in my chest got worse. Something imploded, and my vision blacked out for a second. I could feel Oblivion slip from my grasp, and then I was filled with the sensation of being lifted up and being tossed through the air, before the impact of slamming into the ground like deadweight registered in my brain. I could feel a wetness seeping out from my chest, and inched my head down to look at my chest.

I didn't even have the strength to retch at the sight. There were five large punctured in my upper torso, each the size of a swollen finger. I could feel my heart struggling to keep a beat, and I was sure at least one of my lungs had collapsed. My vision dimmed, and I heard Axel shouting my name through the fog, before his cry being cut short.

I could see his limp body collapsing to the ground and a pool of blood expanding from his chest.

Suddenly, a new pain surfaced, and I felt a large pair of claw-like hands clamp around my throat. My airway was crushed, and what little breath I had been able to draw before suddenly vanished. My vision continued to dim, blackening around the edges. Then something strange happened.

"Call me! Call me now, Roxas!"

A woman's voice echoed through my head, rising above the incessant ringing of my ears.

"Roxas! Call me to you!"

Who was that? The only girl I remember being in the Organization was Larxene, and she wasn't on this mission – and besides, it wasn't her voice, it sounded too pure and sweet, if not a little urgent.

"Roxas!"

I opened my eyes, not really seeing anything, and willed my eyes to focus on the splash of white behind the figure of the little girl, still with her hand around my throat. As I concentrated, my vision cleared slightly, and I was able to make out the silhouette of a woman, glowing a transparent white, bright as the sun. She was stretching an arm out towards me, and in my confused semi-conscious state, I reached out to meet her halfway.

As soon as the tip of my finger touched hers, I felt a warmth flow into my body, and all the pain disappeared, as well as the weight of the girl on my neck. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that my eyes were no longer their sea blue, but rather a light blue, so light it was almost a glowing white. I don't know how I knew this, I just did.

I stood up, legs not the least bit shaky, despite my wounds and the blood loss. I looked towards the girl, who was now cowering by the wall, snarling, her lips and teeth still dripping blood. I turned away from her, focusing my attention on Axel's limp body in the middle of the hall. I felt a faint twinge of anger towards the girl for what she had done, but it quickly melted away, and I returned my attention to the girl.

I my hand, and my body began glowing, much like my eyes, and I materialized Oathkeeper subconsciously, then pointed it at the cowering girl. The light flowed out in a continuous stream, an instinctive attack – my mind was void of almost every thought.

The Light flowed towards the girl swathed in black and blood, the glowing tendrils engulfing her tiny body. The light tightened around her frame, hiding her from sight, then exploded outwards. As the last of the light died away, her small body sank to the ground unconscious. I noticed that her black dress was now white, and the blackened veins that had been spreading out along her skin were gone. Her hair fell to one side, flowing over her shoulder in small blonde waves. Her hands were no longer were encased with the large talon-like black substance, and were once again petite, with perfectly sculpted nails.

I walked over to her, curious about her transformation, and I could feel the light fading from me. Strangely, my wounds had healed, so I found myself still able to breathe as I knelt next to her unconscious form. I moved her hair slightly, revealing the res necklace, which I undid the clasp to before palming the gem. I could feel the power surging through me, just like Axel said it would.

Axel. I whipped around, and my eyes closed on Axel's still form, the pool of blood beneath him still growing. There were five large punctures in his chest, just like I had received. My heart leapt to my throat as I rushed to his side.

"Axel! Axel, wake up!" My coat was getting soaked from his blood, but I didn't care. My voice caught, and I fought back a sob as I touched his chest, gently laying my hand over the injuries.

An idea formed in my head as I became aware of the Heart still clenched in my fist. I placed the small red stone on top of Axel's chest, next to the worst of his wounds, and I called upon Oathkeeper's power. It had kept me alive somehow, so it should work the same for Axel, I thought.

At first, nothing happened, and I felt tears sting my eyes, threatening to spill over. Then, I felt a heat form over my hands, and they started glowing, a white light mixing with the stone's red. Seconds later, although it felt like ages, Axel's breathing started up again, although it was rough, and his eyes opened. They widened in shock as they took in my face, and he reached a hand up to my cheek. "Your eyes…"

I looked away, the light dying down. Pulling my hands away, I put the Heart in my pocket. I could feel my eyes change, the normal blue returning.

Axel struggled into a sitting position, and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Huh… they're normal again. What was that? What happened?" I shook my head. To be honest, I had no clue.

"I have the heart. Should we find the others now, or help the girl first?"

Axel looked over at the girl, surprised. "What happened when I was out? And why does she look… human... again?" I realized he didn't know just how close to death he had come, and decided not to tell him that bit. "Something with Oathkeeper's attack… it was like it cleansed her or something. Like she was possessed, and it exorcised her." Axel nodded, then got up, making his way to the girl. He picked her up, cradling her small body bridal-style, then walked down the hall to the stairs. I followed, glad to leave the blood-stained hallway behind.

As we got to the bottom of the stairs, Luxord and Demyx appeared around the corner, Demyx crying out in surprise.

"Oh my god, what happened to you? And who's the girl?" He gestured to out bloodsoaked and slightly ripped cloaks, then to the girl in Axel's arms.

Axel explained to them everything that had happened, except for how I had defeated her, at which point he looked at me for explanation. I just shrugged. I didn't really know anything more that he did, everything that had happened still made no sense.

I handed Luxord the Heart, and we made our way out the front door – since there was no need to sneak around anymore, considering the owners of the house were probably the bloody chunks of human upstairs. Which made us figure that the young girl was in fact Naminé, the owner's daughter.

When we reached the van, Zexion practically flew out of the vehicle. "What happened? I lost all contact, all visuals!"

Luxord looked grim. "Demon interference, I'm guessing." He walked over to the driver's side and hopped in, and Demyx followed suit, getting into the passenger seat. Axel hopped in back, still holding the girl, and I was right behind him – until I was pulled into a tight hug by Zexion.

"Please… try not to get into so much trouble next time…" He trailed off, then continued quietly, "I know you're still angry with me, but I really don't want to lose my only friend." I could feel the young man trembling slightly, and I reached up to put my hand on his upper back, returning the embrace. Immediately, he backed up, a light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a while, and I knew he was happy I had forgiven him.

Our friendship now fixed, we jumped into the van, shutting the door behind us. As I settled down, Axel spoke, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"So, how was your first mission, Roxy?"


	11. Chapter 11 - Namine

The girl – Naminé – woke up minutes before we pulled into the driveway. She was confused and scared, but Demyx helped cheer her up a bit.

Luxord turned the van off while everyone climbed out. I stumbled slightly, a little lightheaded from exhaustion, and Axel grabbed my shoulders to study me. I thanked him quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. A second later, there was a quiet "_oof_" from behind me. Axel and I turned to see Naminé picking herself up off the ground – she had collapsed when she had tried to climb out of the back of the van.

"I – I feel sick…" My eyes widened at her words, and I rushed forwards, Axel by my side, and helped her to the line of bushes along the edge of the driveway just in time for her to hurl. I caught a quick glimpse, and had to fight back getting sick myself as I noticed the contents of her stomach. Blood, and what appeared to be flesh. I looked away from the sight, and I saw Axel grimace and begin to look a little green out of the corner of my eye.

When she was done, she wiped her mouth, turning to me and Axel. "You didn't have to help me, but thank you."

Axel, who was still looking a little green, shook his head. "Come on – decide whether you're grateful or not, kid." Although I knew he was trying to be humorous, I could hear a bit of an edge to his voice – though it was probably because he had just watched someone puke up another person's guts rather than annoyance. Of course, Naminé had just met Axel, and didn't seem able to discern this, as her eyes widened in fear. "S-sorry!" She squeaked.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. He's not angry, just a bit… queasy," I explained, and she visibly relaxed.

"Come on. She needs to meet Xemnas," Luxord said, walking up behind us. I helped Naminé stand, and we all made our way to the door. When we got inside, she seemed confused. "Your boss lives _here_?"

I chuckled, and indulged her since she was going down with us anyways. "The compound's underneath the house." I said as we made our way to the trapdoor in the basement. "And yeah, I understand," I continued, smiling at her. "I was confused at first too. To be honest, I still am."

Naminé smiled faintly, clutching at my arm. By the time we got to the basement, Luxord had already opened the trapdoor, and he, Demyx and Zexion had disappeared into the darkness below. Only Axel stood waiting for us. A frown settled on his face when he saw how Naminé clung to me. Quickly turning his back to us, he jumped down, ignoring the ladder. My eyebrows drew together at the thought of what could have made him so distant to just leave me behind like that.

Shaking my head, I led Naminé to the edge of the trapdoor, then started down, making sure she followed me.

A few rungs down, now in complete darkness, one of Naminé's sandals slipped on the bar, and I reached a hand up to steady her. "Are you all right?" I asked. She was shaking.

"Yes…"

I nodded, then hastily removed my hand when I realized it had settled on her hip in my rush to make sure she didn't fall. Quickly climbing down the rest of the way, I stepped back to allow Naminé some room.

Demyx bounded up to her the moment her second foot hit the ground. "Come on, Nami!" He grabbed her arm lightly, and pulled her down the hall. I shook my head, chuckling as I followed behind.

_Clack, clack, clack..._

I turned my head towards the noise, recognising the sound of shoes hitting the concrete floor. Axel stopped hehind me, and I looked up at him. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me oddly, like he wanted to say something, then a guarded look settled over his featured. Without answering my question, he moved around me and followed after Demyx and Naminé. Confused, I followed behind. _What was that all about?_

I still hadn't figured out what the silent treatment was all about by the time I reached Xemnas' office, so I gave up for the time being. I would deal with it later.

I entered the room to Luxord explaining Naminé's story to Xemnas, with the girl filling in the blanks.

"My parents were trying to do a protection circle, but something went wrong – a demon showed up, and… I can't remember anything but bits and pieces, but I think it possessed me and killed Mom and Dad. Any every time someone came onto our property that I know of, it massacred them. I remember becoming conscious during a fight, but then everything blacked out again, and I woke up in the van." She had started shaking when she mentioned her parent's deaths, and I wanted to go and comfort her, but I stayed put out of fear of attracting Xemnas' attention.

"You're a witch, like your parents, I presume?" Xemnas' voice still had that heavy quality, one that made my stomach shrink in fear. Naminé nodded "Then I'll put you under Marluxia's keep." He paused. "Luxord, take the girl to Marluxia and get them aquainted."

Luxord nodded, and everyone filed out of the room. Naminé grabbed my arm as she passed me, and pressed up against me, still shivering in fright. "That man… that's your boss?" I nodded.

"He's scary." I nodded again.

"Yeah, I know."

She paused. "Do you know this 'Marluxia'?" I hesitated before speaking. I didn't really know what Marluxia was like, due to the fact that he pretty much hated me for beating up his girlfriend. "Um… I don't really… He doesn't really like me all that much, but that's just circumstantial. I don't think he'll dislike you." Naminé looked up at me with wide blue eyes and I regretted my words to the scared blonde. "Relax," I said hurriedly. "You'll be fine."

Luxord came up to us. "Seems like the girl's taken a liking to you, eh, Roxas?"

I looked down at the girl pressed up against me, her small delicate hands on my chest. "I guess." At my words, Naminé looked up at me, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

I felt my own cheeks heat up. _Please don't tell me the girl's got a crush on me…_

I heard Axel clear his throat from off to the side, and Naminé backed away from me reluctantly, moving to follow Luxord to Marluxia's room.

"Let's go." Axel's words were clipped, and something was obviously bothering him as he walked away from me, towards his room. I followed silent, my shoes barely making a sound on the floor.

Axel still didn't make any move to open up to me when we had reached his room, and just walked straight to the closed, taking off his coat as he went. I stepped into the room and followed suit, sliding my own coat off, folding it and placing it by the foot of the bed where my hoodie sat. I switched my ripped t-shirt for a new one before I climbed into the bed, muscles aching. I heard Axel settle down in the same spot he had slept last night, sitting with his back against the wall. I laid there for almost an hour trying to sleep, but couldn't, despite how tired I was.

Something was off. I was freezing. I had multiple blankets over me, and was curled up in a ball, but I was still cold. Which really didn't make sense. I mean, how could I be cold in the room of someone who _controlled fire_? If anything, I should be overheating. After another half-hour, I was shivering, and my teeth had started to chatter. I curled in on myself tighter, but that didn't make any difference. I was sure my chattering teeth could be heard down the hall, I was shivering so violently. _What the hell?_

Then I felt a weight on the bed, as if someone had climbed onto the mattress. I started to roll over, but a long arm draped itself across me, pulling me close to the warm body lying behind me. The scent of leather and burnt wood permeated my nostrils. I stiffened at the contact, not really relaxing then I realized Axel had climbed into bed with me. "What are you _doing_?" I asked, grinding my teeth together, only partially to stop my teeth from chattering.

Axel's voice was low in my ear. "You were shivering. And the noise from your chattering teeth was keeping me awake, so I decided to keep you warm." For some reason, the back of my mind was telling me he was the reason I was cold to begin with, but I ignored it in favour of the heat emanating from Axel.

"Thanks… I guess." My lack of sleep was catching up to me now that I wasn't freezing cold – Axel's body pressed up against my back and his arms wrapped around me were like a furnace, and honestly, I was melting. Not in a bad way, either. One by one, my sore muscle relaxed, and soon, I was asleep in a cocoon of warmth, Axel's breath stirring my hair in a steady rhythm.


	12. Chapter 12 - Intelligence Gathering

Over the next month, I had settled into a routine. Wake up, check for missions, complete the mission with whoever I was assigned it with, then I would head over to the Twilight Town clock tower where Axel more often than not waited for me with a sea-salt ice-cream for both of us. We would hang around on the top of the tower until dark, then head back to HQ, where I either went off to hang with Zexion in his lab, with Naminé in the lounge, or stayed with Axel to train. Usually, we were up most of the night fighting each other, honing our skills, before we finally retired to his room. Axel had also taken to sleeping in the bed beside me, although he hadn't held me in his arms since that first night.

And a part of me missed that feeling of enveloping warmth.

Sadly, that basic routine was about to be altered. My room – which had been under construction since I had been initiated – was only a few days from completion, meaning I would be moving out of Axel's room.

Or at least I had thought it was still a few days.

"Hey XIII! You hear? Your room should be done by tomorrow night – no more sharing quarters with Flamsilocks after tonight." Xigbar chuckled, slapping my back humourously. I smirked. My nickname for Axel had swept like a hurricane through the Organization, much to Axel's dismay.

Then Xigbar's words sank in. "Tomorrow? I thought it was going to take a few days still."

Xigbar shook his head. "Nah, they made some unexpected progress, so you'll be on your own a bit sooner than anticipated."

I nodded, and saw Saix walk up behind the scarred man.

"Roxas, you have a solo mission today."

I perked up, full of apprehension at the thought, mixed with a certain amount of excitement. This would be my first solo mission, and I didn't know what to expect.

Saix motioned for Xigbar to leave before he spoke again. "You are to do intelligence gathering on a Keyblade bearer running around these parts. He has been destroying every Heart he comes across, Hearts the Organization wants." I nodded, and he continued. "There's a lead, saying he was spotted somewhere around Twilight Town." With that, the man turned and walked away, probably to bark at Demyx for shirking his duties again.

I headed out of the lounge, through the familiar halls to Axel's room, to grab my coat.

When I got there, Axel was putting his own coat on. "You got a mission?" He asked.

I nodded. "Solo. Intelligence gathering."

The redhead whistled. "Solo, already? I know you've built up a reputation, but wow. It took me months before they sent me out solo. Looks like you're on the fast track up the ranks." He paused. "Oh, and if it's Intel, then don't wear your coat – people tend to open up more if you don't look like you belong to the Organization. Unless you plan on torturing them. Then it would be best to keep the coat." It made sense, and I nodded. It was true that I'd built up a reputation. Now, more often than not, people would run when they saw a small boy in a long black coat carrying Keyblades. Not that I was scary or anything. I had just developed the habit of finishing my jobs quickly, not wasting any time toying with my opponents. Made me seem pretty badass and untouchable, I guess. People didn't tend to pay attention to the fact that most of my opponents didn't end up dying, like they did when they went up against the other Organization members.

So instead of donning my coat, I placed it on the bed, placing my Keyblades on top of it. I had developed the ability to summon my Organization coat not too long ago, and if everything was in the same area, I could summon my Keyblades and coat in one shot. I had definitely caught more than one enemy off guard with that ability.

"You want to meet up for ice cream after you're all finished?"

I smiled as I got dressed in my casual clothes – complete with the short sleeved jacket, despite the warmth outside. "I'm in Twilight Town today, so I guess I'll wait for you?"

Axel chuckled. "Nah, I'll be the one waiting. I got an easy one today." I looked at him curiously, and he shook his head, anticipating my question. "You know the rules. No talking about each other's missions, so why bother asking?" I opened my mouth to tell him I hadn't actually verbalized my question, but he continued, lowering is voice.

"But I'll indulge you. I gotta take out some kid who's been running around with the group that's been destroying Hearts." He grinned. "I'm gonna teach him a fiery lesson!"

I laughed at his giddiness. The man was a pyromaniac, that was for sure. He had the habit of summoning a handful of fire just to play around with it. "Well then. Good luck and have fun," I said, exiting into the hallway, then heading on my way.

I was just about to start climbing the ladder to the trapdoor when Naminé came running up behind me. I turned to face the blonde, and she hugged me and planted a shy kiss on my cheek. "I heard it's your first solo mission. Good luck, Roxas."

Smiling, I hugged her back, just as Axel rounded the corner. The redhead stopped short, and a range of emotions flew across his face, too fast for me to identify, before his face went blank. I thanked Naminé, turning to the ladder – but not before I saw Axel shoot a glare at Naminé. I started to wonder what that was all about, but I shoved that train of thought off its rails, stopping it before it started. There was no need being distracted, especially with my first solo.

-oOo-

I walked towards the ice cream shop in Twilight Town, hoping to get some information from the shop owner. Or at least, that was the plan. I didn't really get that far.

"Hey, blondie! You knew here? I ain't seen you around before." I turned around to see the owner of the voice, and was greeted with the sight of a tall blonde in a beanie holding a Struggle Bat – a blue bat that I had learned was used in the Struggle Battles held by the town.

"I'm just visiting. Trying to find someone actually, actually."

The boy grinned, and his entourage – a tall, dark-haired boy, average height silver-haired girl, and a short person in too many layers and wide-brimmed hat to tell whether it was a boy or girl – backed up. "The name's Seifer. And I'll answer any questions you got – if you can beat me, that is."

The next thing I knew, the other boy behind him tossed another Struggle Bat at me, and I fumbled the catch slightly, startled at this turn of events. I was trying to get information, not _fight_, dammit.

The boy, Seifer, laughed, and something about his demeanor grated against me. I had a strong urge to just kick his ass in record time and force him to answer my questions, but something in me made me decide to toy with him a bit.

I relaxed my muscles, dropping my guard completely as I looked over my shoulder as if checking the time on the clock tower. As soon as my eyes were off him, Seifer lunged forwards, and I could hear the telltale sound of something swinging through the air towards my head. I ducked, and without even really even looking at him, I jabbed the end of my Struggle Bat inti his solar plexus, dropping him to the ground. I stepped back and started examining the Bat's grip as he scrambled to his feet, shock evident on his face. He came for me again, and this time I stepped around him, swinging and hitting the back of his neck, sending him stumbling. The larger blonde recovered quickly, and started attacking me, raining blow after blow at me – all of which I blocked without trying. I had fought much tougher opponents than him, and I wasn't even having to pay full attention.

We went on like this for a few minutes, and with each blow deflected, I could feel his irritation growing. After I decided I was getting a little bored, I met his attack instead of merely deflecting it like I had been.

He struck down with an overhead attack, and I lifted my bat to absorb the blow before pushing back, the strength behind my attack sending him flying. He landed on his back, head cracking against the gravel, and his friends rushed forwards. One of them – the girl – stepped up to me, her own Struggle Bat raised, ready to defend Seifer. I shook my head at her. "I just want information."

She glowered at me. "Who _are_ you? No one's ever just _beaten_ Seifer like that."

"Oh, leave him alone, Fuu, you stupid bitch."

I turned to see the newcomer, a boy my age with blonde hair that stood on end wearing head to toe camo, followed by a sweet-looking brunette girl and a slightly overweight boy with spiky black hair.

Fuu snarled at the newcomer. "He just beat up Seifer! I can't just let him get away with that, so stay out of it, Hayner."

Hayner laughed. "It looks like he was getting what he asked for, if you ask me." I chuckled. I liked this kid already. Fuu sputtered, then stormed back to Seifer, who had gotten back to his feet and was pointing a finger at me. "I ain't telling you _nothing_, you fucking cheat." I looked at him, indignant.

"Oh, shove it where the sun don't shine. I didn't cheat, you just suck." At my words, Seifer turned an unsightly red, while Hayner and his friends laughed. Clearly embarrassed and pissed beyond words, he stormed off, defeated. I turned to Hayner. "My name's Roxas. Hayner, right?" I put my hand out, and he took it. "Yup. And this is Olette," he nodded to the girl, "and Pence." He gestured to the other boy.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello."

Hayner grinned at me. "So what kind of information did you want?"

I sighed, putting up the act of faint annoyance. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. He ran away, and has been causing a bit of trouble. Have you heard of anyone going around destroying little stones wherever he goes?"

The trio looked at me weird. Olette spoke up. "What's his name?"

Crap. I thought of a lie on the spot, hoping it would be convincing. "Uh, his family doesn't really want everyone to know he's been missing, so I'd rather not say. The three teenagers looked at each other, consulting.

"Wasn't there a boy…?"

"… Yeah, about his age, maybe a few years older…"

"He was lugging around some giant key-thing…"

I cut in. "A Keyblade?" They nodded, and my hoped soared. Maybe I could finally get some information. "That's him!" I said.

Hayner looked at me. "Are you sure? Cause he wasn't exactly secretive about his name…"

I nodded. "Just to be sure, who did he say he was?" Saix had said Intel…

Hayner looked at Pence, then at Olette. The brunette spoke up.

"He said his name was Sora."


	13. Chapter 13 - Sora

My blood ran cold as the name passed through Olette's lips. Sora… my brother. What was he doing, running around with a _Keyblade_ of all things, destroying Hearts and painting a target on his head like that? And how did he know about the Hearts? I had only found out about them through the Organization. If not for them, I would still be in the dark.

"Sora…" I recovered, blinking. "Y-yeah, that's him. Do you know any details about what he's doing, about where he is now?"

Olette and Hayner shook their heads, but Pence spoke up. "He said he was trying to get rid of all the evil or powerful magic that could help his enemies win… and he said he was trying to find his brother, too… That someone had taken him, and that was what got him started in all this."

My eyes grew wide at the boy's words. _For his brother…_ That meant _I_ was the reason the Organization was looking into him… and since he was destroying the same Hearts they wanted, I had a feeling their attention on him wasn't exactly friendly.

"Did… did he say where he was going?"_ Maybe if I could find him, I could warn him…_

Pence looked thoughtful for a second, then answered me. "He didn't say where he was going next, but he did say he was working with a Reconstructive Committee, or something like that, in Hollow Bastion." Hayner and Olette both looked over at the boy, surprised.

"When did he say that? I don't remember him saying anything of what you just said…" Hayner looked slightly lost.

Olette just smiled at the blonde. "Hayner… he _did_ say that, remember? Pence asked what he was doing, and that's what he said." Hayner's shoulders drooped.

"S'not my fault I didn't remember…" I chuckled at the trio's antics. It reminded me of what Sora and I had been like. Except Sora was always the one in Hayner's position.

"Hey Roxas?"

I looked over at Olette, and she continued.

"Do you happen to be Sora's brother?"

The question caught me off-guard, and I took a step back, surprised. "W-what makes you say that?"

Olette smiled, almost sadly. "He said his brother's name was Roxas. And then there's your eyes – theyre the exact same as Sora's."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah… I am, I guess. I didn't know he was looking for me."

The girl cocked her head to the side. "Of course he is – He's your brother, and he loves you."

-oOo-

I sat on the edge of the clock tower, waiting for Axel to show up. I had spent a few more minutes with the Twilight Town trio after Olette had figured out my identity, but they didn't know anything else about my brother, and neither had anyone else when I asked them.

I was debating on how much to tell Xemnas about the whole thing, when Axel plopped down beside me, two ice creams in hand. He handed one to me, looking peeved.

"What's up?" I asked.

Axel glowered. "The bastard wouldn't let me touch him. He kept jumping around, teleporting with the shadows. Freaking ass didn't have the nerve to attack me to the face, kept hitting me from behind. I only got a few good hits in before he booked it…."

I was only paying half of my attention to his rant, my mind still on Sora.

"He- Hey, Roxas, you planning on eating that? Your ice cream's melting." I looked down to see that the light blue icy goodness [A/N: What the _fuck_ was I thinking when I wrote this line…] was indeed melting, dripping down my hand.

I licked the melted ice cream off my hand, the worked on finishing the rest quickly.

"Something's on your mind." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. I nodded.

"You know how I was supposed to do some intelligence gathering? I was supposed to find some Intel on some kid running around with a Keyblade, destroying Hearts that the Organization is after."

Axel nodded to show that he was following, and I licked ate another bite of my ice cream, flinching at the cold. "Well, I found out his name. Sora."

"What's so special about his name?" Axel was confused, I could see it in his eyes. I took a deep breath, then let it out.

"That name… means he's my brother."

Axel reeled back, almost losing his balance. "Your _brother_? You have a brother? And he's destroying Hearts?"

I nodded. "Yes, I have a brother. Two, actually, but I haven't seen Cloud in years. Mom pissed him off and he left – I'm not even sure he knows she died."

The redhead stared dumbfounded, obviously trying to compute everything I was saying. "S-sorry about your mom," he said, finally finding his words. "It must have been hard."

"The only hard part was accepting the fact that she died before I could work up the guts to kill her."

_That _caught Axel's attention. "You – what?" He choked out. Probably more than surprised at my suddenly livid tone.

"Relax," I said, calmer this time. "It was a mutual hate. The bitch treated me and Cloud like we were the spawn of the Devil just because we're spitting images of dad. Sora got lucky – he looks more like Mom. Sort of. He's got brown hair instead of Dad's blonde. And it's spikey." Axel reached over and fingered the tips of my own spikey hair, and I chuckled.

"_Much_ spikier. It makes mine look tame."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "Must be pretty spikey then," he said, giving my hair a tousle before pulling his hand back. Then he sobered. "You might not want to tell Xemnas that specific tidbit of information, if you value your freedom. Or life, for that matter."

I gave him a look practically screaming _duh_. "You think I would be stupid enough to cut my life short like that by telling him? Of course I'm keeping it a secret. And you better too," I added on.

Axel let out a breath he had been holding. "Good. Come on then, let's go report." He bit off the last of his ice cream, and I quickly finished my own, noting the _WINNER_ printed on the stick, before putting it in my pocket and standing up.


	14. Chapter 14 - Secrets

AKUROKU!

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT LIKE YAOI, one: why are you reading this story, it is labeled as yaoi; two: this chapter has slight smut, as bad as it may be. so if you dont like it, skip to the end. it is just a big fluffy cloud of fluff at the very end, so that parts ok. just skip the middle.

* * *

"Well, that went well. I don't think I've ever seen anyone pull one over Xemnas like that before." Axel flopped face-first down on the bed, then rolled over, grinning. "You're more special than I thought."

I shook my head, grinning myself. "And then there's you, a _different_ kind of special, _Incompetent Flamsilocks_, as Xemnas said. Nice to know even the Superior's caught on to you nickname." I sat down beside Axel, who started mumbling profanities under his breath – hopefully at Xemnas, not me.

I took a breath, letting it out slowly. "So. Tonight's my last night." Axel looked at me, propping himself up of his elbows.

"Last night?"

"Sharing a room. Xigbar said it would be done by tomorrow." I chuckled, a grin rising on my face. "And just as I'd gotten used to sharing a room with a pyro like you, too. Too bad."

"Yeah." Looking over, I saw that Axel was now staring off into space, lost in his thoughts.

"Axel? What's up? Something bothering you?" His eyes snapped to meet mine.

"Sort of. It's nothing, though." His face was blank, no emotion, and my curiosity piqued. What was he hiding?

"If it's nothing, then it wouldn't hurt to tell me."

Axel was silent as he laid back onto his back, closing his eyes. He didn't answer me, didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken. Frustrated, I climbed onto my hands and knees on the bed and crawled over to him. I placed a hand on both sides of his head, my face hovering over his. He still didn't open his eyes, so I kneed him in the side. He grunted, acid green eyes opening, then widening at my close proximity. The thought quickly crossed my mind that the position I was in might be considered provocative to some, and my stomach twisted with butterflies before I pushed the thought from my mind, focusing on the task at hand. "Tell me."

Axel just looked at me, still startled. "Axel…" I said warningly, and he spoke, although barely above a whisper.

"So anxious to put our friendship at risk, aren't you?"

I blinked at his words. What did he mean by that? Had he done something he was afraid I would hate him for? I pulled back so I was sitting beside him and not hovering over him. "What are you talking about?"

"Fine." Before I could blink, Axel had sat up, pushed me down by my shoulders onto my back, and had positioned himself above me, face inches away from mine.

"Axel?" I squeaked, staring into his eyes, ablaze with a heat that set my body on fire immediately. Oh. _Oh_. His gaze was hooded as he shifted, bringing his knee to connect with the most sensitive part of my body, and heat pooled in my abdomen, white-hot. I bit back a groan, and Axel leaned down, brushing his lips against mine, butterfly soft.

I was having a revelation as I reached up, running my hands up his chest to end at his neck. This explained everything. Why he was always around when he wasn't on a mission, why he was always glaring at Naminé whenever she crushed on me. All of it. I pulled down on his neck, bringing his lips back to mine. And while the first kiss was sweet and soft, a declaration of feelings, this one was lustful and sensual. Needy. The taste of him filled my mouth when he slipped his tongue past my lips, running over my own, our saliva mixing.

His hands roamed my body expertly, and I let myself become lost in the caresses.

The heat in my abdomen was starting to get uncomfortable, and I shifted my hips, grinding myself against his leg in hoped of relieving the pressure. Of course, that did nothing but make it more unbearable.

Axel began to attack my mouth with his own with added vigor, and his hands slowly made their way lower on my body until he was cupping me through the fabric of my jeans. I shuddered with desire, and felt his hands undoing and sliding my jeans and underwear off. I lifted my hips to help him, and he stopped kissing me so he could slide them down past my ankles and toss them onto the floor.

I stared at him, chest heaving and eyes blown wide as he ran a thin finger down the underside of my erection, then grabbed the base. I shuddered as he brought his head down, not breaking eye contact even when he teased the tip with his tongue. My erection twitched in his hand, and he grinned, a second before he took my entire length into his mouth. I gasped at the feeling of the wet warmth that enveloped me, and my hips buckled. Eyes fluttering closed and head falling back, I let out a long moan of pleasure as he deep throated me.

"Axel… unh..." I reached down, hand finding his hair and fisting the red strands. I was coming undone so fast, much faster than when I did it alone.

Axel started moaning as his head bobbed, and the sensation almost sent me over the edge. "Nn… A- Axel, I … I'm close…" I gripped his hair tighter and cried out as he chucked around my dick. A bone-deep shudder went through me as I came in a blinding wave of ecstasy, and I cried out. Axel sucked harder, draining every drop of cum as I orgasmed. Only was I completely dry did he pull away, swallowing as he did so. He crawled up the bed, lying down beside me and pulling me into his arms before draping the thin blanket over us. I rolled onto my side, facing him. "What about you? I asked. He still had a raging hard-on, I could feel it pressing up against my leg.

He gently pressed his lips to my forehead. "I can wait. You're probably pretty worn out right now." I nodded, lethargy already taking over as I snuggled closer.

"So that's what you were so scared to tell me?"

Axel chuckled. "Seems kinda silly now, I know, but I had no way of knowing if you were even gay. And I wasn't about to ask out of the blue. Besides, Naminé has been crushing on you since she got here, and you hadn't exactly been pushing her away – which you better start doing now. But I thought you liked her, or something."

I smiled. "I do like her." Axel stiffened, but I kept talking quickly, afraid he would kick me out of the bed. "I _do_ like her, but not like you think. She's cute, sure, but there's the small fact that she's a girl. Makes things a bit problematic, you know?" Axel relaxed at my words, once again holding my closer.

"Good. I don't want anyone stealing you away from me, Roxy."

I almost told him off for calling me that, but I figured he'd earned the right. And besides, I was already drifting off to sleep.

* * *

hehhehheh short chapter... sorry. it'll get better.

Anywaaayyss... thats it for now. i will be back in a while with some more chapters.


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